Important Announcement from Upper Cumberland Pride

First and foremost Upper Cumberland Pride wants to thank Lambda GSA, The Backdoor Playhouse, The Tech Players, members of the community for their continued support during the events that have transpired over the last 24 hours.

We at Upper Cumberland Pride are disheartened and dismayed by the recent misrepresentation of our event held at Tennessee Tech University.

The accusations made on social media are not only false but damaging to all those involved. Our hope is to resolve this misunderstanding with the university and continue to educate the community about our organization and the LGBTQIA+ community.

The performer in question never presented themselves as a member of the clergy and did not speak against any religion, including Christianity. The performer also had multiple layers of clothing on, and was covered from neck to toe in fabric, even after the costume change.

At any of our family friendly events, no children are ever put in any sexual situation, nor would we ever consider that an acceptable thing to do.
When we hold all ages events, performers are asked to ensure that song lyrics are clean and that there is no sexual connotation to their performances. We want everyone in attendance to feel safe, welcome, and to have a good time.

While the statement from the TTU President Phil Oldham is disheartening, UCP stands behind the performers and their performances at The Back Door Playhouse.

Upper Cumberland Pride continues to stand willing and ready to offer support to any TTU Student who been affected by this recent event.