Dee Grace LaValle was so overcome with emotion, she sat down at the Pilgrim Monument and started to cry. She was attending her second Fantasia Fair, and for the first time, it clicked: She is a woman.
It’s the kind of life-changing revelation that can only happen in Provincetown, where tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people flock every year to live their truths—and socialize amongst their own, free and without fear of judgment. For LaValle, that means embracing her trans identity. Her experiences at the Fantasia Fair, the longest-running transgender event in the world, were instrumental in her coming-out journey.
“It was a really moving experience to me,” said LaValle. “I realized at that point that, yep, this is who I am. I haven’t looked back since.”
With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, Provincetown is fully open for business, and that means the return of its cherished theme weeks.
While Provincetown was far from the only resort haven to cancel festivals and events due to COVID-19, a summer without Bear Week or Carnival was uniquely devastating. These celebrations encourage individuality, and for many, the freedom is intoxicating. Take it from this twunk: There are few feelings more euphoric than galivanting around the Boatslip in a crop top and booty shorts (with a Planters Punch in hand, of course).
While LGBTQ+ people still vacationed in Provincetown last summer, the vibe of Commercial Street was different without the steady stream of ebullient revelers. There were fewer queens and more strollers. Anthony Fuccillo, the director of tourism, says his goal this year is to re-queerify P’town.
“Without the theme weeks, it was a really different feeling in town,” he said. “There was an absence of the LGBTQ community last year. It changed the dynamic.”
So what does it mean to re-queerify one of the queerest places on Earth? There’s the newly created Provincetown Queer Council, whose members were announced on Pride Weekend during an event at Provincetown Brewing Company. They’ll operate as tourism ambassadors during theme weeks, ensuring the festivities are welcoming to all members of the community.
‘Express Yourself Days’
In that spirit, “Express Yourself Days” are scheduled during the major theme weeks, including Carnival. On those days, costume is encouraged, and atavistic social norms are meant to be flouted.
“I grew up in rural Oregon, and I wouldn’t even wear [there] what I wear to the grocery store here,” said Jonathan Hawkins, a local producer and performer who puts on shows at the Crown and Anchor all summer long. “[We need] to remind people this is a LGBTQ community, and that we need to represent all of what that means and all of whom that includes so that this never becomes a place where someone doesn’t feel able to walk down the street in overalls and a pair of high heels.”
Amen to that. Carnival is when Provincetown’s beautiful weirdness really shines, and this year, the late-summer party is back on. Started in 1978 by LGBTQ+ innkeepers who wanted to highlight Provincetown’s artistic legacy, there is always a specific theme to the celebrations. This year, the category is: “Over the Rainbow.”
The Provincetown Business Guild, an organization of 300 businesses whose mission is to drive LGBTQ tourism to the town, produces Carnival each year, along with Pride, Holly Folly and First Light. Bob Sanborn, the executive director, says canceling the revelry outright was never an option for 2021. Still, Gov. Charlie Baker’s announcement that Massachusetts would reopen on Memorial Day Weekend caught everyone by surprise. Within three weeks, the PBG put together a full Pride slate, complete with a dance party at A-House and a sunset cruise sponsored by Baystate Ferries.
“A year ago, we were in cancellation mode,” he said. “This year, we’ve been in planning mode. That’s a big difference.”
One of the lingering questions is the fate of the Carnival Parade, which typically takes place on Thursday of that week. There will most likely be a costume parade and some stationary floats—just a notch below the typical offerings. Though vaccinations are rising and COVID-19 cases are plummeting, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Safety remains the top priority.
With that in mind, business owners are asking for some understanding this summer. Up until May 17, Massachusetts wasn’t expected to fully reopen until Aug. 1. It’s not easy to ramp back up to full capacity, especially when there are worker shortages. Due to a confluence of circumstances—COVID-19, housing shortages, visa delays—businesses are struggling to attract seasonal help. It may take a few extra minutes to get that vodka and soda at the P’town Inn pool, but rest assured, you will get it.
“Bring a fierce look and some patience,” said Hawkins.
Self-discovery & affirmation
As town manager, Alex Morse is focused on the array of challenges facing Provincetown as it emerges from COVID-19, beginning with its growing inequities. But he’s optimistic about the future. Morse, who became mayor of Holyoke, Mass. when he was 22 years old, remembers being enamored with Provincetown whenever he would visit as a young kid. It’s the first time he saw people being their true selves.
“As a kid, you can immediately feel it’s a very unique and special place,” he said. “It’s just a special place, and you feel that working here and living here.”
Comedian Kristen Becker fell in love with Provincetown’s magic when she started performing there 14 years ago during Women’s Week, and now, wants to share it with others—mainly marginalized LGBTQ+ youth. Growing up in Louisiana, Becker knows what it’s like to feel isolated. After reading an article in her local paper about the dangers of being young and queer in the South, she came up with the idea to bring LGBTQ+ kids to the metaphorical end of the earth. Through her Summer of Sass program, Becker gives teens from rural and conservative America the chance to live and work in Provincetown, and see they aren’t alone.
After a painful hiatus, the program is already back up and running, hosting two brothers from Defiance, Ohio. One of them told Becker he had never even seen two men hold hands before.
“You think about what kind of impact that has on a kid,” she said. “I had some kids in the program who were heavily medicated for anxiety, and now they’re not, because they stopped getting stared at.”
Yes, debauchery and hedonism are important, but the most powerful part of the P’town experience is the room it allows for self-discovery. Take LaValle, for instance. She did not come out as transgender until later in life, and her partner and kids had to adjust. The Fantasia Fair saved her family. Now, she’s on the planning committee. The seven-day conference is scheduled for Oct. 17–24.
“Provincetown gives you that safety and that security where no one’s looking over your shoulder, no one’s staring at you,” LaValle said. “No one’s doing any of this, and the noise of everything else just drops away.”
That’s how LaValle felt at the Pilgrim Monument that day. For the first time, she was at peace.
“We always leave Provincetown better than we arrive,” she said.
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