On Sunday, June 2, Utah Pride Parade participants marched through downtown Salt Lake City to advocate for increased visibility, inclusivity and solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community and allies.
The state’s first Pride parade occurred in 1990 and drew only 270 participants. This year’s parade, which drew thousands of marchers and supportive onlookers, started from the intersection of 100 S. and West Temple and concluded at 700 S. and 200 E.
The 2024 parade took place 55 years after the Stonewall Riots, which is often considered the original catalyst for organizing Pride parades across the country.
Prior to Sunday’s parade, which is considered the “main event” of Utah Pride, festivities included an interfaith worship service on May 30 as well as a march and rally at the Utah State Capitol on June 1. A two-day festival in Washington Square Park complemented the weekend’s events.
Community and volunteer efforts shine
Chad Call, executive director of the Utah Pride Center, said he was impressed by the level of community-building and volunteer effort that took place to organize all the events that Utah Pride entails.
“What speaks to my heart is the amount of community and volunteer help that it takes to put on an event like this,” Call said. “And our community came out and worked so hard.”
According to Samuel Tew, the parade director, there was a volunteer committee that started preparing early in the year for the parade. Twelve committee members met every week since January, planning and strategizing fundraising efforts.
“We met every week as a group,” Tew said. “Then had one-on-one’s in between … we’ve been doing a lot of work, [especially] in the past few months.”
Call added that he was impressed with the dedication that committee members had.
“The 12 [committee members] are all volunteers and have full-time jobs,” Call said. “They’ve taken a week off work to put this parade on. It’s incredible to me.”
Call said there were 12,000 participants and over 1,000 volunteers that were a part of the parade.
Unity and support at the parade
According to Tew, the 2024 Pride Parade consisted of 137 floats, including advocate organizations like Way to Quit and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Tew added that all parade participants and volunteers aim to provide a sense of belonging.
“At Pride, we accept everyone as they are and we want to help them,” Tew said.
Josie Jesse, who was at the parade representing the Utah chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said that being at the parade held great significance and raises awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.
“It means everything to be here today,” Jesse said. “The suicide rates in the LBGTQ community are some of the highest of all communities. For us to be here and show our support and acceptance of LBGTQ+ — and especially transgender [people], which is my community — is extremely important.”
“Mental health and suicide have to be talked about and recognized so we can remove the stigma and get more help for people,” Jesse added.
Ryan Cobourn watched the entire parade from a shady spot on the sidewalk. He attended the Pride parade as a gesture of solidarity.
“Supporting people who don’t have [much] support and showing that we are all members of the same community [is important],” Cobourn said. “[I’m] super happy to be here.”
Derek Goldie works with Sacred Circle Healthcare. He appreciated the opportunity to participate in the parade, which he has done for two years.
“We’re proud to be here to represent the LBGTQ+ community and to bring unity to the community,” Goldie said.
Utah Pride Center overcomes financial challenges
The Utah Pride Center has experienced fluctuations in its financial situation, but the center’s leadership say they have addressed the issue.
“Last year [the parade] racked up a lot of debt,” Call said. “In order to consolidate several years of financial problems … we did sell our building. We paid off our debts.”
“We are hopeful, and we are in good financial [standing] this year,” he continued. “We got the reports in last night and it looks like all is headed in the right direction. We [also] have a new office on Main Street.”
Call also explained the rich history and decades-long tradition of the colossal pride flag seen at the end of the parade.
“[The flag] started in 1990 … with a group of interfaith community members [who sewed] a giant flag together,” Call said. “Ever since then, it has been the last entry of the parade. It is carried by an interfaith coalition group [and] used as a fundraiser for the Utah Pride Center. People throw money into the flag to donate. It’s an iconic symbol that ends our parade every year.”
Call added that he thinks Salt Lake City has responded positively to the Utah Pride Parade each year.
“We would not have the Pride festival without the support of Salt Lake City and agencies involved in Salt Lake City. The elected officials in the mayor’s office have been so supportive.”
