A victory for the LGBTQ+ community in the middle of Wyoming

June 28, 2024 12:25 PM

Wind River Pride organizes an annual pride festival and advocates for LGBT+ people in central Wyoming. Last year their annual pride parade was disrupted by a far right group, they did not let that stop them this year.
posted by interogative mood (5 comments total)

One of the big things that my eight-year-old told me the other day was that ‘Well, I don’t understand why everyone has such a problem with people who aren’t like them.’

8 year old ftw, also I know there's the minimum required age, but maybe this year we could skip that and let this kid run for president.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 12:40 PM on June 28 [10 favorites]

Ad-blocker nag free version of the article.

Apologies, I linked this before I noticed that it seems to be an incomplete version of the article.
posted by signsofrain at 12:48 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]

I'm quietly relieved there's been no significant attacks on Pride events this year in the US. After the attempted attack in Coeur d'Alene in 2022 and this year's warning about terrorist attacks internationally I've been a little anxious. The worst event we've had this year I know of was in Baltimore but that sounds more like a fight that got out of hand than a deliberate assault.

The month's not over though, with a bunch of big parades this weekend. Not to mention the daily threat many of us feel.

I've helped put up and take down Pride flags in small-town Nevada City, CA this year. I was surprised at how many people were yelling opinions at us as we swapped US and Pride flags. People mad we were taking down Pride flags. People thrilled we were taking down Pride flags. A lot of anger. Nothing escalated, it ended up no big deal, but it unsettled me a bit.
posted by Nelson at 2:11 PM on June 28 [3 favorites]

Good on WRP, where it is already an uphill climb with state government. Where I live (PNW; Washington) there has been a larger turnaway of Pride recognition by local governments, officially because of "budget concerns" and the like, but there is usually some cabal of locals behind it who really do not want certain Americans to enjoy equal rights. Add to that the undercurrent of violent threats, and it feels like a different attitude of late. I don't know if it is Trump's continued presence in American culture that gives the worst of this country some kind of permission to act out, but it is worrying.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:25 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]

The article does not make me want to visit Wyoming, to put it mildly. But there are many states on my do not travel list these days, including my native Oklahoma where my parents still live.
I’ve felt like this has been a very quiet Pride. Queer folks, more COVID cautious than others on average, are only just returning to large gatherings, and are feeling a great deal of fear in a threatening election year.
Even in our new home in New Jersey, tigrrrlily and I are holding our breath to see negative reactions about the new lesbians in town from our Piney neighbors. I’m worried we’re going to see the few comforting Pride flags nearby taken down at the end of the month. And even more worried about November.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 8:34 AM on June 29