The Olympia City Council Olympia City Council signed a proclamation designating June 2024 as LGBTQIA+ PRIDE MONTH and June 29 and 30 as Capital City Pride Weekend.
The month of June was designated as Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which took place in June 1969 in New York City. The Stonewall Riots are widely considered a pivotal moment in history that helped launch the modern LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement.
According to the proclamation, there has been a rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation introduced in various state governments. In particular, many of these bills specifically target transgender individuals and women, aiming to curb their bodily autonomy and access to necessary medical care.
The proclamation signified reaffirmation of the city’s commitment to supporting and standing with LGBTQIA+ communities.
“The City of Olympia commits to making our community a safer and thriving place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and non-binary, queer, questioning, asexual, intersex, two-spirit, pansexual, gender fluid, and all under the rainbow umbrella,” stated the proclamation.
Capital City Pride will be holding numerous events to celebrate Pride at the end of June, including:
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Natalie Coblenz, president and event creative producer of Capital City Pride, announced the Capital City Pride festival itself will be a “dry” or alcohol-free event.
Coblenz explained that the Pride committee decided to make it dry after hearing community members that avoiding alcohol helps create a more relaxed, comfortable, and inclusive environment for families and those concerned about potential negative stereotypes or behaviors associated with alcohol consumption.
“We realize that alcohol and other extracurricular stuff is not very beneficial to our mental health. We're all on this uplift of elevating ourselves both spiritually and physically,” Coblenz said, adding “and so we are a dry festival. We're one of the only LGBTQ Pride dry festivals in the area. It's going to probably most likely stay that way.”
Coblentz mentioned that in 2023, Capital City Pride hosted over 500 LGBTQIA+ artists, musicians, small businesses and activists as part of their events. They produced six total events, including two family-friendly daytime events. They organized one pub crawl, one workshop, and assisted with two LGBTQIA+ marches and the annual Pride festival.
This year, Coblenz said Capital City Pride has expanded their efforts even further. "We've been doing so much more building bridges, collaborating and connecting with our community and growing not only our roots, but our rainbows."
“Four years ago, we started out with only 200 people in Lamplighters,” Coblentz recounted. “ I think it's going to be 5000 tourists coming in estimated to this community to help grow the love and appreciation and acceptance and accommodations of the queer community.”
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mtndancer
Olympia had a Pride parade every June for many years in the Before Times. That did not just start 4 years ago. The parade was well done and well received. Participants did not pay to enter. What was the funding source? This year we have to pay quite a bit to be in the parade. I wonder how many people are prevented from participating by the money requirement.
Wednesday, June 5 Report this
FordPrefect
Can anyone explain why a person’s sexual preference is so important? Does a gay artist, for example, paint exceptional art or is their art exceptional because they’re gay? Why is it important that we know who or how they love?
Thursday, June 6 Report this
Southsoundguy
Government promotion of wanton deviancy.
Thursday, June 6 Report this
wolfmanner
?
Thursday, June 6 Report this