Newlyweds, free hugs and drag queens. Tacoma turns out for LGBTQ Pride on Saturday
Jessie Keating didn’t go to Tacoma Pride on Saturday looking for a father figure, but she found a whole booth of them.
“I just haven’t been around a dad in a long time,” Keating said through tears after getting a hug from Thomas Barcous.
Barcous and his fellow Tacoma Dads Group members were staffing a booth and dispensing hugs to whomever needed them. Keating was one of them.
“My dad would have hated this,” Keating said of her late father. “He would have disowned me for being gay.”
“Whether our children are part of the community or not, we wanted to come out and show that we’re supportive of the community,” said Tacoma Dads member Kyle Ruane.
Organizers expected around 20,000 people to attend the LGBTQ festival, which spread out from Pacific Avenue and South 9th Street and surrounding streets. A stage featured performers while other entertainment set up in Fireman’s Park.
Rainbow flag-themed clothing was a popular choice for attendees. Even Tacoma police officers keeping an eye at the festival were sporting the flags.
Although this marks the second post-pandemic Pride festival, it still feels fresh, said Joshua Riley as he manned a booth for TractionSpace, a co-working space.
“We lost any sort of self-expression,” Riley said of the pandemic. “Getting back out there to be loud and proud is two thumbs up.”
Dozens of nonprofits, along with vendors, lined the streets with information booths. The Pierce County AIDS Foundation was offering a rapid start PrEP clinic at the festival. PrEP is an HIV preventative drug.
“It’s just exciting to be here,” said DeCarlo Braddy, PCAF’s prevention director. “The energy is great, and I’m just happy to be around family.”
Stephanie and Jesse Peckham didn’t plan to marry in the midst of a Pride festival when they made reservations at downtown wedding chapel Elope 253, but they quickly made it a part of their event on Saturday.
The Yelm couple walked through the festival in their wedding attire and posed for photos.
“It’s amazing,” Stephanie said. “It’s been a miracle for my self confidence. I’ve never heard, ‘You’re so beautiful’ so much in my life.”
The event’s organizer, the Rainbow Center, made more use of surrounding streets this year, said executive director Quincy Tyson.
A drag queen story time for kids was held Saturday. Similar events have been the target of right-wing protesters. Although none showed Saturday, disruptions were still a concern for Tyson, especially in light of increasing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, including a recent vitriolic video from Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.
“It’s all in the forefront of our minds,” Tyson said. “That’s why we gather here. That’s why we have Pride despite DeSantis and rulings from the Supreme Court. Work with us. We are part of the community. We’re not going anywhere.”
