Bigots shut down LGBTQ+-inclusive art retreat over “desecrated” chapel

An attendee of a queer- and Black-inclusive art retreat in Bledsoe, Kentucky said that white supremacists invaded the gathering, accused attendees of desecrating a chapel, and demanded that they leave, causing the retreat to end early after police reportedly told the 70 attendees that officers couldn’t guarantee their safety.

Saturday, August 19 marked the second day of the 2023 Waymakers Collective Convening, a gathering of Appalachian artists who represent different races, ethnicities, ages, faiths, sexual orientations and gender identities. The convening, which was held at the Pine Mountain Settlement School (PMSS) — a rural cultural campus — included workshops, shared meals, film showings, art activities, and also a quiet healing and reflection space in the campus chapel.

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The gathering had convened at the PMSS in previous years. This year, organizers decorated the chapel interior with pillows, meditation cushions, soothing lights, plants, crystals, and artwork so that attendees could use the space for rest, restoration, reflection, and quiet meditation within their own religious and spiritual traditions, the Waymakers Collective said in a statement.

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However, on the gathering’s second day, a group of white men and women in trucks and on all-terrain vehicles showed up unannounced at the campus and used their vehicles to block the campus’s exits. Two men and one woman sat in the chapel and demanded that attendees leave.

“Our group was told they did not belong there, were desecrating a Christian space, and needed to leave right away,” the collective wrote. “We were shocked by this as we had rented out the entire campus of PMSS for our event and were treating the entire property with respect.”

While a PMSS staff person intervened and separated the two groups, the uninvited group remained on campus, watching attendees. An attendee named Kabrea J. said in a TikTok video that the group was made up of “white supremacists” and “[white] bigots,” and that local police said they couldn’t guarantee attendees’ safety.

The Kentucky State Police and Harlan County sheriff’s office arrived at the PMSS but didn’t arrest anyone. All the attendees left in a caravan to ensure a safe exit. Some attendees had traveled many hours to attend the weekend-long event.

“Many of our participants are deeply traumatized by this experience, especially those of us with personal lived experiences of racial and gender-based violence,” the Waymakers Collective wrote.

“The people who came into the chapel that day used their Christian faith as a tool of division to create an us and them, an insider and an outsider, but what they refused to see was that this region is our home, too,” the collective continued. “Some of us are also Christians…. We also know that this misrepresentation of the Christian faith and the religious intolerance it produces is used as a tool of white supremacy that seeks to keep our communities separate.”

Tate Napier, one of the men who disrupted the event, wrote on Facebook, “We went in as a community of believers of Jesus Christ and had these people removed from His chapel!”

He added, “If we as Christian’s allow this to keep happening, they’re just gonna keep trying to force stuff down our throats and run us out of our own churches, and it’s not happening on my watch. They can do whatever they please in their own homes and out in public but not in my Father’s house.”

The MPSS said that it is “reviewing its policies and procedures to ensure that this type of misunderstanding does not occur in the future and to ensure the safety of all guests, visitors, and staff.” Despite this, a theater group has canceled its scheduled Labor Day event at the MPSS over safety concerns.