Utah Pride Festival

The Utah Pride Festival is a festival held in downtown Salt Lake City in June celebrating Utah's diversity and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The event is a program of the Utah Pride Center, and includes the state's second-largest parade, after the Days of '47 Parade.[1]

The rainbow flag at the back of the 2014 Utah Pride parade. People watch from the street, from rooftops, and from a parking structure.

Festivities
The Kitchen v. Herbert plaintiffs participate as grand marshals while Lady Liberty and Lady Justice kiss at the 2014 Utah Pride parade in Salt Lake City. The words on the side of the float read, "Our Champions for Marriage Equality".

The festival includes the parade, a film festival, the Dyke March, members of the Bear Clan, Leathermen, and the Sisters of bondage subcultures, an interfaith service by the Utah Pride Interfaith Coalition,[2] 5K charity run, and related parties and receptions.

Participation in the festival cuts across a broad spectrum of Utahns. Past speakers during the celebration have ranged from Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, who was quoted in support of same sex marriage, to Utah Rep. Jackie Biskupski, the state's first openly lesbian legislator (and now Salt Lake City's first openly lesbian mayor).

The festival's last day (Sunday) begins with the parade. Participants have included Mayor Ralph Becker,[3] County Mayor Ben McAdams,[4] a group of uniformed Boy Scouts, the largest group - Mormons Building Bridges, Mormons for Equality, the Provo Pride Council,[5] Westminster College (Utah), and Weber State University.[6] Over 140[4] organizations, sponsors, and religious groups participate.[7] A large rainbow flag fills the street at the back of the parade.[5]

History
Salt Lake City Library during the 2006 Utah Pride Festival, which was centered around the Salt Lake City and County Building in the background

The festival began in 1977 when the Salt Lake Coalition for Human Rights sponsored a three-day conference. Affirmation: LGbTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends (then called Gay Mormons United) was founded during this conference, on June 11.[8] The 1978 keynote speakers were David Kopay, the first NFL player to come out of the closet, and U.S. Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, an ex-Mormon who was the first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.[9]

Utah Pride Inc. was created in 1989 through 2004 as a project of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah. The project was renamed Pride of Utah in 2006.[9][10][11]

The first Pride parade in the state was held June 27, 1990 at the state capitol building. It began on the steps of the capitol, went down Main street, and ended on South Temple at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (then the Salt Lake Art Center).[12] It included a procession of 270.[13] In 1991, the Utah Stonewall Center opened and Pride festivities moved to the Salt Lake County Fairgrounds in Murray, Utah.[14] The parade attracted twice as many participants along with opposition by members of the Aryan Nation.[13] The Pride Day Art Expo and Competition was created to award local artists with its Lesbian and Gay Pride Art Award and the Mapplethorpe Award.[9]

A quilt of past Utah Pride Festival shirts and events

In 1997, a football-field long pride flag was made to carry down the parade route. It was produced by Rev. Bruce Barton of the Metropolitan Community Church of Salt Lake City, UT along with a dozen helpers (including Bruce Harmon, Jeff Freedman, Carrie Gayler, Lynn Sasaki, Terry Gillman and Garth Snyder) whom called it, a "tremendous symbol of pride and unity".  Completed the day of the parade (June 8 at 4:15 am), it was composed of 35 bolts of lightweight fabric in six colors, and took more than 80 hours to sew this 300 foot long flag.  Over 100 marchers would hold the sides; people often threw donations onto the flag and children would run around underneath. The first flag bearers were the Utah Gay and Lesbian Youth group and all others that did not belong to a community organization. They took it from the Utah State Capitol Building, down State Street, past the LDS Church Office Building and onto the Salt Lake City and County Building.  In 2012, the original flag had seen better days and a new one from Colonial Flag was purchased for $5,000.  It is 30x200 feet and made of nylon, with hand holds every 18".  Also, UPC gifted Moab Pride their own 100' flag.[15]

In 2004, an estimated 50,000 people attended, the largest since the festival began.[8] However, in 2005, the first year in which an admission was charged, attendance at the festival was 15,000 to 20,000. Some have attributed this decline to patrons not wanting to pay for admission to the festival. Festival organizers argued that it was the first year in which an accurate method of counting the attendance was employed and that the numbers did not reflect a drop in attendance.[16]

In 2011 the first local pride festival was held in Moab, Utah.

The 2012 festival included performers Frenchie Davis and Prince Poppycock[17]

In 2013, pride spread to Provo, Utah, with their first pride.

In 2014, Mayor Ralph Becker threw a private wedding reception for couples whose marriages he performed on the first day that same-sex marriage became legal in Utah.[18]

Pride reached Ogden, Utah, in 2015 when they held their first pride festival.

2016 was the first year panel discussions were held during the festival, inside the Salt Lake City Public Library.[19]

2020 will see the event move to late September brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.


Utah Pride Festival History
Year Dates Festival name Theme Grand Marshal Estimated attendance Location
May 1974 Beer Bust Kegger
1975 June 1 Gay Freedom Day[20]
1976 Memorial Day Kegger
1977 June 10 – 12 Human Rights 400
1978 June Pride Day Leonard Matlovich, David Kopay
1983 Day in the Park Basket Social Fairmont Park, SLC UT[21]
1984 June 24 Day in the Park We Are What We Are[22] 1300-1700 Fairmont Park, SLC UT[21]
1985 Day in the Park Sunnyside Park, SLC UT[21]
1986 July 13 Day in the Park 200 Pioneer Park, SLC UT[21]
1987 July 12 Day in the Park 300-400 Sunnyside Park, SLC UT[21]
1988 July 17 Day in the Park 1200 Sunnyside Park, SLC UT[21]
1989 July 30 Day in the Park A Generation of Pride[23] Salt Lake City Councilman Tom Gottfried 1300 Sunnyside Park, SLC UT[21]
1990 Pride Day Look to the Future Dr. Kristen Ries Sunnyside Park, SLC UT[21]
1991 June 14–27 Pride Week Together in Pride Dell Richards[24] Salt Lake County Fair Grounds[21]
1992 June 15–23 Pride Week Pride=Power Danny Williams[25] Salt Lake County Fair Grounds[21]
1993 Walter Larabee Salt Lake County Fair Grounds[21]
1994 June 12 Pride Day Stonewall: Twenty-five Years Remembered, Twenty-five Years of Progress[9] Ben Williams[26] 4000 Northwest Recreation and Community Center, SLC UT)[21]
1995 5000 The Gallivan Center, SLC UT)[21][27]
1996 June 9 Pride Day Pride... Without Borders Chaz Bono[28]
1997 June 8 Utah Pride Day Equality Through Visibility Candace Gingrich[29]
1998 June 14 Utah Pride Day Unity Through Diversity Charlene Orchard and Debra Burrington[30]
1999 June 13 Utah Pride Day Prideful Past/Powerful Future Dan Marshalls with local grand marshals Gary and Millie Watts[31]
2000 May Utah Pride Day A New Era of Pride Rep Jackie Biskupski[32][33]
2001 June 7 – 10 Utah Pride Embracing Diversity Mayor of Salt Lake City Rocky Anderson[34]
2002 June 9 Utah Pride Day Unity in the Community- Change From Within Alicia Suazo[35]
2003 Be Yourself Out Loud
2004 June 11 – 13 Utah Pride Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are! Bruce Bastian[36] 50,000
2005 June 8 – 12 Utah Pride Equal Rights. No More. No Less. 15,000 - 20,000
2006 June 1 – 4 Utah Pride Week[37] Pride, Not Prejudice Boyer Jarvis, Ph.D[38] 20,000[39]
2007 June 1 – 3 Utah Pride Days[40] United for Equality John Amaechi[41]
2008 June 6 – 8 Utah Pride Come Together Ralph Becker[42][43]
2009 June 5 – 7 Utah Pride Festival Pride. Voice. Action. Cleve Jones[44] 20,000[45] Salt Lake City-County Building
2010 June 4 – 6 Utah Pride Festival Our History, Our Future Sister Dottie S. Dixon[46] 25,000 Salt Lake City-County Building
2011 June 3 – 5 Utah Pride Festival Live. Love. Pride. Roseanne Barr[47] 28,000[48] Salt Lake City-County Building
2012 June 1 – 3 Utah Pride Festival Changing Hearts and Lives Dustin Lance Black[49] 33,000 Salt Lake City-County Building
2013 May 30 – June 2 Utah Pride Festival Gotta Be Real-Equality[50] David Testo[51] 35,000[4] Salt Lake City-County Building
2014 June 5 – 8 Utah Pride Festival Love Equals Love The Three Couples from Utah's Marriage Equality Case: Laurie Wood and Kody Partridge, Moudi Sbeity and Derek Kitchen, Kate Call and Karen Archer[52] 57,000 Salt Lake City-County Building
2015 June 4 – 7 Utah Pride Festival Pride Is... Janet Mock[53] 65,000 Salt Lake City-County Building
2016 June 3 – 5 Utah Pride Festival #WeArePride Pride Icon Award Recipients: Jimmy Lee and Connell O'Donovan[54] 100,000[55] Salt Lake City-County Building
2017 June 2 – 4 Utah Pride Festival Pride Elevated 50,000[56] Salt Lake City-County Building
2018 June 2 – 3 Utah Pride Festival Get Salty 100,000[57] Salt Lake City-County Building
2019 May 31-June 2 Utah Pride Festival Exist. Resist. Persist: Celebrating 50 Years of Stonewall. 35,000[58] Salt Lake City-County Building

See also

Notes
  1. "Utah Days Of '47 Parade Denies Entry For Mormon LGBT Float". The Huffington Post. Associated Press. May 9, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  2. "Utah Pride 2007 kicks off with Interfaith Service". The Salt Lake Tribune. May 26, 2007.
  3. McCarthy, Christine L. (June 9, 2014). "Thousands Celebrate Utah Pride As Ruling On Same-Sex Marriage Looms". KUTV. Sinclair Broadcasting Group. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  4. Romboy, Dennis (June 8, 2014). "Gay marriage issue pumps up Utah Pride Parade". Deseret News. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  5. Canham, Matt; Manley, Danielle (June 8, 2014). "Gay couples who made history lead Utah Pride Parade (videos)". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  6. Pyle, Skyler (June 9, 2014). "Wildcats show their colors at Utah Pride parade". The Signpost. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  7. McCombs, Brady (June 8, 2014). "Gay marriage victories focus of gay pride parade". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  8. "Affirmation". Archived from the original on April 30, 2006..
  9. Pride Guide 1996. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City: Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah. June 1996. p. 12.
  10. "Utah Pride Inc". Business Search. Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. 1989. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  11. "Pride of Utah". Business Search. Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  12. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 3 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah's First March for Lesbian and Gay Pride flyer. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  13. Evans, Whitney (June 6, 2014). "Pride weekend in Salt Lake City has changed over the years". Deseret News. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  14. Brophy, Steven M. (June 5, 1997). "Utah gays and lesbians celebrate Pride Day with weekend activities". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City: Kearns-Tribune LLC. pp. D-2. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  15. "S.L. Gay Parade Boasts Usual Fun, But Pride Presides; Gay Parade: Pride, Unity Themes of Day". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 9, 1997. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  16. "SL Metro". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  17. "Utah Pride - Announcing 2012 Headliners". Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  18. Winslow, Ben (June 6, 2014). "Utah Pride Festival kicks off as decision on same-sex marriage nears". Fox13. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  19. "Parade, Music, 5K Highlight, Utah Pride Festival". KSL News. June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  20. "Q Salt Lake - The History of Utah Pride". Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  21. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 3 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Pride Day Chairs. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  22. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 3 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Newspaper article "Gay Pride Day: 1984", Salt City Source, March 15, 1984. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  23. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 3 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Newspaper article "Gay and lesbian Community of S.L Celebrates 'A Generation of Pride'", Salt Lake Tribune, July 31, 1989. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  24. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah Gay and Lesbian Pride 1991. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  25. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah Gay and Lesbian Pride 1992. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  26. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah Gay and Lesbian Pride 1994. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  27. Ure, Jon (June 12, 1995). "Gay-Pride Celebration Draws Thousands". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  28. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Pride Guide 1996. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  29. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah Pride Guide 1997. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  30. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah Pride Guide 1998. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  31. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Utah Pride Day 1999. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  32. Williams, Ben, ed. (May 2000). Official Guide to Utah Pride Day 2000. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah Pride Day Inc.
  33. Utah Pride Center records ACCN 1918, Box 39 Ben Williams Files, Folder 2 Pride Day: Official Guide to Utah Pride Day 2000. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  34. Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah records ACCN 1918, Box 23 Reference Files P-R, Folder 4 Pride Day Utah 1989-2001: Official Guide to Utah Pride Day 2001. Special Collections Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  35. Booth, Sherry, ed. (May 2002). Official Guide to Utah Pride Day 2002. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah Pride Day Inc.
  36. "Deseret News - Wedding float is highlight of Utah Pride parade in S.L." June 15, 2004.
  37. "Utah Pride 2006". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 2, 2006.
  38. Aaron, Michael, ed. (June 1–15, 2006). Q Salt Lake "Guide to Pride". Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah: Salt Lick Publishing.
  39. "Utah Pride - Press Releases" (PDF). Utah Pride. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 1, 2007.
  40. "Utah Festivals List". The Salt Lake Tribune. May 20, 2007.
  41. "Utah Pride Festivities". Deseret News. June 4, 2007.
  42. "Utah Pride Festival Schedule". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 2, 2008.
  43. "Becker Leads Utah Pride Festivities on Friday". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 1, 2008.
  44. "Governor, Entertainer Honored with Pride Festival Awards". QSaltLake Magazine. May 25, 2009.
  45. "KSL - Pride Parade draws thousands to downtown Salt Lake City". June 6, 2010.
  46. "Sister Dottie: Utah Pride Festival Grand Marshal 2010". QSaltLake Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  47. "Thousands Celebrate Diversity, Individuality at Utah Pride Festival". Deseret News. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  48. "Q Salt Lake - 2011 in Review". Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  49. "Utah Pride Grand Marshal for 2012 Festival: Dustin Lance Black". Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  50. "Utah Pride Center Gears Up for 2013 Pride Festival". Q Salt Lake. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  51. "Utah Pride Festival Grand Marshal Reception". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  52. "Utah Pride 2015: Grand Marshals". QSaltLake. May 22, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  53. Utah Pride 2015 (insert section in May 28, 2015 issue of Salt Lake City Weekly), pp. 20=36
  54. "Joint release of The Utah Pride Center and Christopher & Teinamarrie Scuderi regarding the 2016 Utah Pride Festival Icon awards". Utah Pride Center. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  55. "Utah Pride Announces Parade Winners". QSaltLake. June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  56. "100,000 Turn out for 43rd Annual Utah Pride Parade to Celebrate Acceptance, Organizers Say". KSL. June 4, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  57. "Tens of Thousands Celebrate Diversity at Utah Pride Parade Downtown". Deseret News. June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  58. "Utah Pride Festival will draw thousands to celebrate LGBTQ rights, 50 years since Stonewall riots". Salt Lake Tribune. June 3, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.

References
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