I spent the weekend with some dear friends of mine… six of the other authors in our Queer Sacramento Authors Collective group.
It was Sacramento Pride weekend, and it was a bit crazy, especially on Saturday morning. On the same day, there were three hge events planned in Downtown: the first day of the Sac Pride Festival, the No Kings Rally one block away at the Capitol, and the UC Davis graduation two blocks away at the King’s basketball stadium.
Parking was at a premium, and we arrived four hours before the opening time to make sure we snagged a spot in the closest garage. We also never got our booth map, and our table was on the sunny side of the aise.
But it all worked out. We found our booth, it was on the soft grass, it was in the heart of the event, and our neighbors had a big booth wall that blocked out most of the sun. People from the No Kings protest flooded the festival after the rally ended, and we sold a ton of books.
And whenever an issue came up, I had to remind myself what a strange year it has been, and how mch the poor folks at the Sacramento LGBT Center have been through. They lost a ton of funding from the federal government, and their vendor liaison ended up incapacitated just before the event. So the staff at the center picked up the slack and, while there were a number of issues, most of them were invisible to the thousands and thousands of festival visitors.
Also this year, many corporations have backed away from donations to LGBTQ centers around the country because of the current administration’s all-out assault on DEI and anything they perceive as “woke.” A number of corporate booths were empty, and one bank showed up, literally dumped their swag as fast as they could, and left within a couple hours of the start of the event, never to return.
Corporate sponsorship of Pride events has long been controversial in the queer community. While their money was welcome, there was always something a little strange about seeing pride logos emblazoned on corporate merchandise, as if we’d sold out our movement for a handful of t-shirts and tote bags.
Pride started when dra queens and transgender folk stood up at Stonewall and other places around the country against the constant threat of police raids and said:
“I reject the shame. I reject the guilt you are trying to make me feel for being who I am. I am stronger because I am gay. I am stronger because I am transgender. I am stronger because I am lesbian. I am stronger because I am bisexual. I am stronger because I am a part of this vibrant community that you will never truly understand.”
Somewhere along the way, we’ve allowed that to become lost in the shuffle. This year was a welcome reset, a reminder of what really matters. There I was, surrounded by people from all walks of life, young and old, black, brown, and white, straight and queer. There was magic in the air as we saw each other – really saw each other and smiled, knowing we all shared a common cause.
Somehow, this year it was more our pride and less theirs. And that was a beautiful thing.
It was also a reminder of how many people are on our side. Even in these dark times, the winds of change are blowing, and we are strongest when we stand together. No Kings and All the Queens.
So if you have a pride event coming up near you, run, don’t walk. Show up, and remind yourself and everyone else around you what Pride is all about. You and me, not them.
Happy Pride!