Stepping Out of the Shadow

By Lauren Means • Photo Courtesy Layla Quiñones

Last year was the return for many pride celebrations throughout the state after a year off during the pandemic. For the city of Pulaski, it was a first with 2021 marking the first-ever Pulaski Pride. Organizing an event is no small feat. Organizing a pride event in a historically discriminatory area may have some people saying it’s impossible. 

Layla Quiñones and her wife Ericka were up for the challenge. 

Layla, who is originally from Texas, grew up the middle of five children. She says she didn’t have a good upbringing as a kid and went through a lot of trials and tribulations. This was partially due to her mother having an “issue” with gay people. This was problematic as Layla is gay and she has a trans sister and a younger sister who is also a lesbian. Her mom is a minister and had to learn how to maneuver her children being LGBTQ+. Layla credits her trans sister for paving the way for her to come out and she paved the way for her younger sister.

Now a mother herself to an almost nine-year-old, she says she’s learned a lot from her daughter. “She’s amazing and funny. The light and love of my life,” proclaims Layla. 

She found love again after her twelve-year marriage came to an end. Layla and her current wife Ericka met online through an LGBT group on Facebook. About two years after their initial interactions, Layla reached out to Ericka through Facebook Messenger. She asked Ericka out on a date and she knew it was meant to be from the first in-person meeting. “When she pulled up I felt a sense of a missing part of me coming to me. I felt I was being completed,” explains Layla. They have now been married for three and a half years and completed a handfasting ceremony for a year prior to getting legally married. 

Layla says she is a survivor in many ways, including being a two-time cancer survivor, and through her journeys, she learned a lot about herself. Discussing what she learned she says, “One thing I like about myself is I am still able to love myself and accept love from other people.” She also discovered she’s a lover and a servant. “I love doing things for people and being able to help people when I can… even if it means doing without at times,” says Layla.

(Soul)Waves of Change

She continued making positive changes in her life last year by becoming a business owner when she and her wife opened SoulWaves Sanctuary in Pulaski. “We opened right smack in the middle of a pandemic,” exclaims Layla. She says they honestly weren’t expecting a lot of business but the community rallied. 

She says in addition to their store they offer classes, holiday-themed events, and community work. They distributed food boxes at Thanksgiving and planned a Valentine’s dinner where Layla, who is also a singer-songwriter, performed. She has also followed in her mother’s footsteps becoming a minister who offers spiritual counseling and performs marriages. 

SoulWaves has now been open for over a year and Layla says she cried when they reached the one-year mark. “My heart was filled that we were able to be open for 365 days. People wanted and still need us,” she notes. Coming from a long line of impoverished people, Layla says opening a business that stayed open for a whole year was an accomplishment within itself. “I’d like to say I’m one of the lucky ones but I am really one of the blessed ones.”

Support Abounds

Last year, the Quiñones’ decided it was time for Pulaski to have a pride celebration. According to Layla, “I think Pulaski has been in the shadow of the KKK for so long, being different or expressing yourself has never been a part of Pulaski. We’re not in the closet and we’re not hiding behind anything so [we thought] if we’re not hiding, let’s give someone else the courage to be a part of something in the community so they can be themselves.” They want people in the LGBTQ+ community in Pulaski and surrounding areas to not feel like they have to hide anymore.

As for the celebration itself, Layla said it spread like a forest fire. Initial attendance was estimated to be 30-40 people. Then as word spread, they had allotted for 400 wristbands thinking it would be more than enough. By three o’clock, they were sold out and had to figure out how to handle the additional people who were still showing up. They estimate attendance was around 800 that day with 60% being from the local area. “It was amazing. Wonderful and beautiful. People shared their stories. Pride gave them so much hope,” says Layla. 

Thankfully, they didn’t experience any pushback from the people in Pulaski. Layla says the business support was unexpected but welcomed. She also says they found out after the festival that local police had already approached the churches to discuss the event and informed them to stay away if they intended on protesting. “A couple of religious fanatics did come. I spoke with them and encouraged them to stay as long as they did not make anyone uncomfortable,” Layla recalls. After the event, the sheriff came and shared his thanks and said police will be available for the next event. 

As for what we can expect for Pulaski Pride 2022, Layla says attendance could be double or triple in size. They are expecting to increase from 20 vendors to 60-70 with an increase in food truck offerings as well. Pulaski Pride will be held on Saturday June 11, 2022.

For Layla, this experience has solidified that family is more than blood and she is thankful she is able to provide others with a safe place to be who they are.

Follow Pulaski Pride on Facebook for updates and details and to see how you can get involved.