Submitted by Brandon Strawn

As a longtime member and leader of Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, one of the founding members of the Pride Bands Alliance, I’m finding it hard to properly conceptualize–let alone articulate–how important Melissa Terrell has been to both of these organizations. Melissa joined Lakeside Pride in 2005 and Pride Bands Alliance in 2006, and she has had dozens and dozens of indelible contributions to both of these communities over the decades, to the point that it would be a challenge to find someone among these thousands of members over the world who haven’t heard of her and don’t know of her work.

Upon joining Pride Bands Alliance, Melissa Terrell began her membership contributing to the success of a resonant, high-profile event: the Gay Games of 2006 in Chicago. There, she supported the organization by assisting with the writing and organizing of the drill for the opening ceremonies at the historic Soldier Field. Her marching and musicianship prowess have been repeatedly put to use since then: in 2009 as trumpet section for the marching band at the conference for the parade; in 2013 as assistant brass captain for President Obama’s second inaugural parade; in 2016 as drum major for the Palm Springs conference marching band; in 2023 as drum major for the Denver conference pep band. Perhaps most strikingly, she even traveled to London in 2012 to march and lead instruction in proper marching for the London Gay Symphonic Winds for World Pride. Her Pride Bands Alliance leadership has extended beyond artistic leadership to operational leadership as well, as a Member-at-Large on the board from 2014-2018 and as co-chair of the universally revered “Sweet Home Chicago” conference in 2022. Her tireless and generous shepherding of that weekend (and the many years that led up to it) resulted in a conference that many described as “the best conference they have ever attended,” and a strong indication that the COVID-19 pandemic was now mostly behind us and we could come together and make music again. Since 2006, she has attended 15 conferences herself, always actively and enthusiastically as many Lakeside Pride members as possible to join in the community. Indeed, this year we are bringing more than 20 members to Columbus, in part thanks to her dedicated efforts.

In Chicago, I can say without hyperbole that Melissa Terrell is Lakeside Pride Royalty. We have recently coined a term the “Lakeside Pride Effect” to share how quickly new members become part of the Lakeside Pride family and how quickly they feel compelled to spread their wings in our organization and contribute to its growth and maintenance. Melissa Terrell exemplifies this notion. Every single rehearsal and performance (whether she’s participating in it herself or not), she actively goes out of her way to introduce herself to new members, learn their stories, and support their inclusion in our fellowship. She particularly looks out for prospective members of color and female-identifying members, ensuring that we are actively combating the entrenched racial segregation in Chicago and patriarchal hegemony even present in a queer community organization like ours. Upon her appointment and then election to the Lakeside Pride Board of Directors, she has actively sought out leaders from these vulnerable communities to encourage them to speak up in meetings and let their voices be heard. In her time on the board, as a Member-at-Large, Vice Chair, and then Chair, this was always a priority of hers, and the fact that our leadership team is more diverse and inclusive than it has ever been is a testament to her efforts.

Melissa Terrell has also been a key driver behind the technological innovations that have contributed to Lakeside Pride’s unprecedented growth in the last decade. She and I worked together for hours at coffee shops to continually update our website to be more user-friendly and professional. I remember distinctly when she came over to my home once for a game night and then eagerly showed me how when one hovers over a button, it changes color to indicate it can be clicked. These details matter to Terrell. Without a degree in music or computer science, she has been such a natural pioneer for us across the board.

Yet beyond all of this innovation, Melissa also has an indefatigable respect and admiration for our community traditions and elderly community members. Every single year for over a decade, she has acted as primary intermediary between us and American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), for whom we march through downtown Chicago every Memorial Day weekend. Before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was revoked, both AVER and Lakeside Pride were permitted to march but were deliberately ignored by the announcers as we walked by. And the Band played on. Melissa Terrell, as our fearless drum major, always ensured we were proudly supporting our queer veterans and properly representing our community. She even plays taps for AVER every single year on Veteran’s Day.

When I was diagnosed as HIV+ in 2017, Melissa was one of the first people I came out to, at the Women’s March in Chicago. She spoke so passionately and positively about how much has changed with medical science over the last decade and reminded me that I am standing on the shoulders of those who came before me. Through her work at the Alphawood Foundation, she brought Art AIDS America to Chicago. This extensive art collection is a powerful, poignant tribute to those of us who are still here today and those of us whose lives were tragically cut short. She even gave me a personal tour of the collection, proudly pointing out the most controversial piece they were exhibiting: a beautiful red sketch of flowers being picked in their prime, painted with mixed HIV+ and HIV- blood. She encouraged me to persist and be present with my diagnosis and my health. Through her support, I am now Lakeside Pride’s first ever out HIV+ chair, an active member of its HIV+ affinity group, and a performer at the Chicago AIDS Memorial Garden on World AIDS Day. 

Melissa Terrell’s contributions to our community can be summed up using her three rules for being in the Lakeside Pride Marching Band (which any of its members could easily recite if pressed):

     1. Have fun! If you’re not having fun, we’re not doing this right!
     2. If you can have fun and play the music well, you should totally do that!
     3. If you can have fun, play the music well, and also be in step, you should absolutely do that!!!!!

But no one, with no exceptions, should ever shout out “left! left! left” to publicly shame another member to fix which step is marching on which beat. “First, it embarasses them, and second, it makes the hiccup even more noticeable than it ever would have been otherwise.” Melissa Terrell is an includer and a celebrater. She understands that Pride Bands Alliance is a conglomerate of community band organizations. Community before band. Always. For her tireless work within our community, in 2015, we were honored to award her with the Founders Award, the highest distinction a member of Lakeside Pride can earn to recognize their contributions to our community. Reflecting upon this award on our website, Melissa noted:

“I was just looking for a place to play my trumpet in 2005 when I found Lakeside Pride. I had no idea how much this organization would shape my life. The people I have met and the experiences I have had, made me who I am today. This organization saves my sanity over and over. Music is my therapy. Lakeside Pride is my home.”

Melissa Terrell is the Lakeside Pride Effect and is the reason we are able to continue to bloom and grow so proudly in Chicago. I nominate her with all my heart for the 2024 Pillars of Pride Award at the Heart of it All conference in Columbus, Ohio.