I can’t think about a Santa Barbara pride festival without thinking about my partner, Faris, who was more commonly known as Feltaan in the LGBTQ+ spaces in Santa Barbara. As we celebrate our pride, I want us to remember pride isn’t the same for everyone. That was something Feltaan advocated for and a lot of their performances centered around their own struggle with feeling proud and out as a gay man and drag performer within the Middle Eastern community.
Faris found his people and true community finally after 30 years. He found the place where he felt the most free and accepted, and then shared his most vulnerable side with our community because our community showed up. We showed up and always made him feel accepted and loved for who he truly was.
Pride is different for all of us, how we express our own pride and how we take it in. Faris/Feltaan was a performer, and an advocate every day for those who didn’t quite understand themselves yet, and he spoke for the minorities always.
