Photo by Colin Murphy

Since joining the Atlanta Freedom Bands in 1996, Cliff Norris has done “a little bit of everything.” He was president of the group for four years and is now director of marketing and development. But first and foremost, Norris sees himself as a tuba player. He performed at the presidential inauguration and played with other band members on three different continents. “I once checked a sousaphone as luggage to travel from Amsterdam and Paris to Sydney,” he says.

The Atlanta Freedom Bands, founded in 1994, will serve as grand marshals for the first time at this year’s Atlanta Pride Festival, taking place Oct. 12 and 13. Each year, several individuals and organizations are nominated by their community and selected as Pride Grand Marshals based on their contributions to LGBTQ+ life; Other Marshalls this year include Dr. Elijah Nicholas, founder of the Global Trans Equity Project, and local nonprofit Lost-n-Found Youth. All four ensemble groups of the Atlanta Freedom Bands will participate in the parade together and perform a number of iconic pop songs. “These are the fan favorites this year,” said marching band director Candace Weslosky Miller.

Photo by Colin Murphy

They will also lead the Honor Guard carrying LGBTQ+ flags at the front of the parade. “It’s a huge effort because we have 19 (flags) that we carry,” Norris said. “But it makes us proud to be able to represent the community in this way. We always tell people: We will carry your flag because we have someone in the band who can relate to each and every one of them.”

Over the years, Norris has seen a dramatic increase in the diversity of band members – a development that has not gone unnoticed by Freedom Bands President Jason Morley. “Unfortunately, Atlanta tends to have a very segregated queer community,” says Morley, “and we love pushing those boundaries and bringing people together from across the spectrum.”

Photo by Colin Murphy

With 150 people and counting, the Atlanta Freedom Bands have returned to their pre-pandemic numbers and have now even exceeded them. In addition to its trademark marching band and pompom-twirling color guard, new members are drawn to the group’s concert band, which performs the works of LGBTQ+ composers and composers of color, as well as its MetroGnomes, a big band ensemble that headlines jazzy seasonals Events such as “Swing into the Holidays” in December.

“The band has always been a safe space for LGBTQ+ people,” says Morley. “The band was a refuge for us as school children, and now it has become our adult refuge. We can come together in a safe space and make music together, regardless of our background, political beliefs, gender or sexuality.”

This article appears in our October 2024 issue.

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