Pride Month holds so many different things for all of us. While I always make time for celebration, it’s also a crucial time for remembering where we come from and all we have fought for.
Since the Stonewall Uprising led by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, this month has commemorated a movement against injustice, hate, and bigotry. Pride Month is a declaration that LGBTQ+ people deserve a world where we are safe, where we are loved and included, where we can be open and ourselves, and where we have access to what we need to live and thrive. It is an affirmation and a reminder that hope can have teeth, even through horrifying times.
While different than the world our movement was responding to at Stonewall, the world is a tough place right now. The mass shooting in Buffalo spurred by racist violence and followed by another in Uvalde, the legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ peoples’ very right to exist in the world, the potential for Roe v. Wade to be overturned—all on top of the fact we are still navigating life in a global pandemic.
In light of all this, a dear friend recently reminded me of the wisdom from organizer Mariame Kaba that hope is a discipline and a practice. It is something we have to choose to fight for and live in every day.
So, today, on the first day of Pride Month, I invite you to join me in this hope. To seek the impossible balance between celebration and never settling for anything less than our full humanity. I’m a firm believer that hope begets hope—and that even though fear may come more easily, it’s not what sticks around. It’s not what wins.
This Pride Month, we say thank you. Thank you for hoping alongside us.
Welcome to your June eNews. What you’ll find inside…
- What’s New at Pride Foundation
- LGBTQ+ Happenings & Highlights
- Pride Month Events List
- Staff Picks! What We’re Reading, Watching, and Listening to this Month
Pride Month Events Happening Near You!
Here is a non-exhaustive list of Pride Month events happening across our region! Please note: we aren’t hosting these events, so please reach out directly to the event hosts with any questions you have. Have fun and stay safe!
Alaska
Seward Pride June 3-5
Dillingham Pride March on June 4
Pride Pop-Up Arts & Maker Fair in Anchorage on June 10
Anchorage Rainbow Run on June 14
Soldotna Pride in the Park on June 17
Homer Pride on June 18
Underground Pride in Palmer on July 9
Palmer Pride on August 27
Juneau Pride throughout June
Fairbanks Pride throughout June and July
Ketchikan Pride throughout June
Kodiak Pride throughout May and June
Idaho
CDA4Pride Tie Dye Party on May 21
Pride in the Park in Coeur d’Alene on June 11
Pride on the Runway in Coeur D’Alene on June 23
Idaho Falls Pride June 24-25
Sandpoint Pride Festival July 15-16
Pocatello/Chubbuck Pride on August 27
Boise Pride Festival Sep 9-11
Montana
Missoula Pride June 3-5
Flathead Pride Festival June 9-12
Billings Pride on June 25
Montana Pride Festival in Helena July 17-23
Oregon
Astoria Pride June 10-12
Hillsboro Pride on June 11
Medford Pride on June 11
Pendleton Pride Parade on June 11
Tigard Pride on June 12
Albany Pride on June 25
Bend Pride 5k Run on June 25
Central OR Pride on June 25
Pride Beaverton on June 26
Prineville Pride on June 26
Klamath Pride on July 16
Capitol Pride on August 6
Eugene-Springfield Pride on August 13
Southern Oregon Pride on October 8
Portland Pride throughout June
Washington
Snohomish County Pride Flag Raising on June 1
Burien Pride June 3-5
Tri-Cities Pride on June 4
Walla Walla Pride on June 4
Clark County Pride on June 4
Seattle Pride in the Park on June 4
Olympia Pride on June 4
White Center Pride Street Festival on June 11
Spokane Pride on June 11
Monroe Pride on June 12
Anacortes Pride Parade on June 18
Yakima Pride Parade & Festival on June 18
Wenatchee Pride Festival on June 18
Seattle PrideFest Capitol Hill on June 25
Taking B(l)ack Pride on June 25
Olympic Pride: Sound of Pride on June 25
Seattle Dyke March on June 25
Seattle Pride Parade on June 26
PrideFest Seattle Center on June 26
Tacoma Pride Festival July 1 – July 9
Vancouver Pride in the Park on July 9
Bainbridge Pride Festival on July 17
Kitsap Pride Festival on July 23
Alki Beach Pride August 13-14
Trans Pride Seattle on September 2