The final day of Pride Month brought a crowd to Fairmont Park in Salt Lake City for one last celebration – a celebration diverging from official Utah Pride events.
The third annual Pride Without Police festival took place on Sunday, June 30. The event is run by Salt Lake Community Mutual Aid, who reportedly recognized the need for an alternative celebration, separate from the mainstream Utah Pride Festival and Parade.
“If I wanted to go see Chevron and JPMorgan Chase in a tabled event, I would go to a career fair,” said Lazlo, an attendee who asked to have their last name kept private. “That is not what I feel is actual community. Pride means resistance, Pride means fighting back for our rights.”
Lazlo echoed a shared sentiment amongst attendees of the event, which is that Utah Pride has become “too corporate.”
“I didn’t end up going to the state-sponsored Pride [events] at the beginning of the month,” said Abhay Goel, another attendee of Pride Without Police. “I don’t find it to be very liberating to say that I can buy my pride.”
“Pride Without Police feels like an alternative to that, where we’re taking care of each other; we’re building community for each other; we’re building alternative systems,” they continued.
Live music from local jazz band Calico set a lively yet laid-back atmosphere for the event. Free food, including vegan options, and water were provided. Attendees participated in several free activities such as sidewalk chalk, nail painting, face painting, a makeup workshop and banner decorating.
Cael Crosby, a student at Utah Valley University and singer for Calico, performed at the event and said he appreciated the focus it had on physical and financial accessibility.
“The main Pride event for Utah Pride, run by the Utah Pride Center, is very expensive,” Crosby said. “It’s expensive for vendors and it’s expensive to go in, so I didn’t participate in the festival.”
“I love that Pride Without Police is free, open to the public, and focused on being extremely accessible,” Crosby added.
Tabling at Pride Without Police featured many local queer artists and nonprofit organizations, including Armed Queers Salt Lake City, the Utah chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association, and Salt Lake Community Mutual Aid, who organized the celebration.
Pride Without Police does not charge vendor tabling fees. The free spaces contrasted with the Utah Pride Festival’s decision to increase vendor fees in 2023, which became a barrier for access for small, local businesses.
Mo, a local artist who wished to have their last name kept private, is the creator of the clothing brand Wonkyy Dude. Mo said they appreciated the lack of vendor fees, adding that it created an opportunity for small artists to not only sell their work but also make community connections.
In the spirit of community support, sustainability and accessibility, Pride Without Police featured a “really free market,” where people brought items they no longer needed that others could take at no cost. Similarly, a gender-affirming clothing swap saw people bring clothes they no longer wear, so those looking for gender-affirming items could take what they needed.
The event also featured speakers from different local organizations and causes. The speakers touched on information ranging from how to join a local trans social club to how to start unionizing at your workplace.
Among the speakers was Dalia Salloum, biology professor at Salt Lake Community College, who spoke about the intersectionality of the issues that LGBTQ+ people face in Utah and internationally.
“My message to all of you is that our struggles are intertwined. Our fight for liberation is one. Our struggles are one,” Salloum said.
Salloum went on to emphasize intersectionality by speaking on “no pride in genocide,” stating that injustices abroad could not be handled correctly if local community needs are not met.
Shelby Hornback, an organizer with Salt Lake Community Mutual Aid, said Pride Without Police is always looking for community feedback.
Hornback said she envisions the annual event growing and becoming even more community focused. Hornback hopes to have more educational opportunities and collaboration with local organizations in the future.
