Photo Credit: TennesseePhotographs.com
By Diah March • Photos By TennesseePhotographs.com
Who is Mac Huffington? An equal mix of advocate, entrepreneur, and life of the party, Mac is a person of the people. She is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community and the Nashville community as a whole. She recently made history becoming the first Black female president of Nashville Pride — a position of which she is both excited and proud.
In addition to her newly appointed position with Nashville Pride, Mac also serves on several community boards, has a full-time day job and is the owner of Mac Productions. It’s safe to say she has a pretty full plate. It’s all something she enjoys and gladly spends her time doing which is always the best way to work. She also does a bit of activism work in the community to advance equality and to shut out injustice. Mac is one you should keep an eye out for because you never know what she will join in on or create as her next big project.
Finding Community
Mac came to Nashville by way of Chicago for school. She found the local LGBTQ+ community and Nashville Pride and quickly fell in love. “Pride was just starting so I went to a meeting and have been hooked ever since. I love pride and our community and everything that it has grown to be.” Now, as President of Nashville Pride, she can continue to lead the organization she loves and support the community. In the coming years, Nashville Pride is going to continue on the strong foundation of its being a two-day festival of love, inclusion and community that anyone can attend.
“Nashville Pride has grown as the city has grown,” notes Mac. Starting with a small parade at Centennial Park, the pride festival has since grown, moving from Centennial Park to Riverfront Park to Public Square Park to its current location in the large and spacious Bicentennial Park. She also explains how the Nashville Pride Board has grown from its founding name “Our Pride Encompassing Nashville (OPEN)” to Nashville Pride Inc. while still remaining the same in terms of how it serves the community. She says, “Now we have encompassed all facets of the LGBTQ community in our events, our festivals and the diversity in the board as we continue to grow with Nashville.”
She wants to build off that existing history and push the organization forward. Mac says, “I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. Nashville Pride has a strong foundation and I want to continue to build on that foundation. I also want to work more with our community organizations and continue to make positive partnerships.” One thing that is very important to her is making sure everyone knows they are welcome. Of course, in true Mac fashion, she says, “I just want to add just a little flavor to my presidency.”
Promoting Entertainment and Diversity
Her brand, Mac Productions, is an entertainment production company, specializing in show performances and pageantry. “We are an equal opportunity company that is always searching for a variety of diverse people to join our production team and be a part of future endeavors. We have promoted all types of impersonators, comedians, live singers, spoken word, rappers, dancers and more,” Huffington states.
Mac began her company once she realized the lack of representation of Male Impersonators and Divas in the drag industry. The drag scene in the ’90s was geared towards drag queens more than the drag kings and to change that, the Mr. Esquire pageant was born. Since its founding in 1997, it has become one of the longest-standing premier pageants in the Southeastern region. It was added after the Ms. and Mr. Nashville Pride Pageant which started in 1996.
In the past 20 years, the popularity of drag kings and drag king pageants has grown tremendously, but Huffington still feels the main struggle is getting equal pay and booking for the drag kings because they’re still not as widely promoted as drag queens.
Mac Productions also hosts the Ms.Tennessee Diamond Diva Pageant for femme girls. “It continues to represent the production company’s new focus on discovering, developing and promoting innovative feminine and sexy creative talent,” Huffington explains.
These entertainers have performed at events such as The Tennessee Continental and Continental Plus Pageants, the Tennessee US of A Pageant, Ms. Kentucky USA, Ms. Grand Diva Pageant, MR. U S Of A, Mr. Southern States US of A Pageant, Glamour City Pageants and many more. They have also performed at pride events and in pageants in a multitude of states and cities including Canada. This exposure to the drag and pageant industries promotes validity and acceptance. It also helps people enjoy themselves doing what they love.
Balancing Act
Mac still finds time for activism with organizations she holds dear such as Launchpad, Nashville Black Pride, MashUp Nashville, Nashville LGBT Chamber, Women Who Rock and more. Her involvement in the community is not just important for the LGBTQ+ community but specifically for the Black LGBTQ+ community. For people of color, community support is imperative. Representation inspires others to pursue their passions and make dreams a reality.
Balancing work and life is important for Mac. Even with everything that she has committed herself to, she still finds time to relax and enjoy her life. When she is not busy, she likes to watch tv, listen to music, and spend time with her partner of 24 years, Stallion.
Mac is an amazing person who cares about others and likes helping people in the community. Whether it is helping someone promote their craft or just giving someone words of acceptance and validity, she is a selfless giver. She has made a name for herself in Tennessee and surrounding areas and shows no signs of quitting anytime soon.
Mac is a living example of the phrase “do what you love and love what you do.” If you want something that isn’t already out there, create it.
