Show your pride: students, community members come together to celebrate at Logan Pride
Growing up, Megan Wilson didn’t even know there was a term for someone like her until she Googled what she was feeling. That was the first step into opening up her world and discovering who she really was.
Now, as she steps under the rainbow balloon arch and takes in the proud display of colors and flags, Wilson’s world gets a little bit bigger, because now, her world is experiencing what it means to have pride.
As a way of creating a community event to spread equality and love, the Logan Pride Foundation hosted their fourth annual Logan Pride Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14. The event, open to the community, created a space for LGBTQ students and allies to come together and celebrate in a safe and free space.
“Having pride means a ton to me,” Megan Wilson, art and design major, said. “I feel like there is a place for me to exist and that it’s okay to be who I am. That’s such a nice feeling, and everyone deserves that.”
The Logan Pride Foundation was founded as a way to strengthen the LGBTQ community, their families and allies through advocacy. This year for Pride, they hosted multiple events, including a drag show, Pride Ride, interfaith services, a festival and an after-party for the public to join and participate in to show support to the LGBTQ community.
Logan Pride Festival goers dance with Shimmering Sands, a local belly dancing company, after adorning various belly dancing wraps. Logan Pride is an annual festival to celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals. Sep. 14, 2019. Logan, Utah. (Tashina Eggleston/Utah Statesman)
Emerald, a drag queen for the Imperial Rainbow Court in northern Utah, was the opening act for the drag show, hosted at Logan Eagles. She said she came to perform so she could spread her message — that no matter who you are, you are loved — and achieve her goal of making everyone laugh.
“I want people to come to an event, laugh their faces off and have a fun time and remember that,” Emerald said. “That’s what I want. And to anyone out there that wants to start drag, there’s this whole group of people that will love you no matter what and will help you become whoever you want.”
The main festival was held at Willow Park. Local vendors from Logan businesses and LGBTQ advocacy and support groups filled the parks, giving out flags and hosting activities to create an engaging experience for Pride attendees.
“One of the primary things we are trying to focus on is services: providing the means for the queer community in Logan to get the services and the help that they need in a place that is queer-friendly,” Rikki Wheatley-Boxx, Logan Pride Foundation president and volunteer director, said. “We went to local businesses to see how welcoming they are to all kinds of people, and then we got a list of doctors and nurses and dentists who are comfortable working with queer and trans individuals.”
The foundation also worked to get safety resources for the Logan LGBTQ community, including hotlines or safe spaces, and working with Cache Pride Center, which hosts parent and youth groups. They also have members on the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce, which Wheatley-Boxx said helps the foundation be seen as an official organization that is recognized by Logan City.
Since Logan Pride is now in its fourth year, Wheatley-Boxx said that getting the permits and resources to put the events and festival together was much easier, allowing them to have large lineups of live performances and a wide variety of community support, including USU, which had a booth set up to show support through allyship.
“To me, being an ally is about being a support system,” Ryker Marble, USU booth volunteer, said. “Just always being there if you need to talk to someone or act as emotional support for whoever is struggling, whether they’re coming out or they’ve already come out and they’re trying to be accepted along the way.”
From ally to queer, Pride stands as a place for people for all backgrounds and ages to come together, as computer science and computational mathematics major Jack Miranda realized when they attended the festival.
Avery Smith poses for the camera at Logan Pride in his rainbow glitter beard painted by Glitter Bee Creations’ Lynda Jensen. Logan Pride is an annual celebration of members of the LGBTQ+community. Sep. 14, 2019. Logan, Utah. (Tashina Eggleston/Utah Statesman)
“Seeing all these young people in middle and high school being able to grow in this culture of Pride, where they know that they’re welcomed by the community is really amazing,” Miranda said. “Many of us didn’t even have that available growing up, and I’m only 22. It’s a really loving thing, and it’s a wonderful day.”
Pride also hosts an interfaith event before the festival, allowing participants like Alicia Oliver, archaeology major, to celebrate both their faith and their sexuality together, despite the assumption that the two are conflicting.
“I’m LDS and bi, and it’s great to know that the God that I found is like, ‘Yeah, I love you,’” Oliver said. “It’s not as weird as it sounds out loud, and I’ve found a lot of strength in other LGBTQ youth who are also LDS and don’t want to give either part of themselves up in exchange for the other.”
At the end of the day, Logan Pride is a harmonious place dedicated to creating a welcoming environment to all, no matter the conflicting opinions on who they are and how they choose to live their life. According to Oliver, opposition is hardly going to stop her from showing her pride.
“Contest all you like, we’re not going anywhere,” Oliver said. “Our existence is not dependent on your acceptance.”
—nichole.bresee@aggiemail.usu.edu
@breseenichole