Wenatchee proclaims June as Pride Month after dispute over banner applications

The City of Wenatchee on Thursday officially proclaimed June 2026 as Pride Month, as it has in previous years, just months after denying an incomplete Pride Month banner application that excluded banners that had flown in prior years.

NCW Equity Alliance, a local nonprofit representing marginalized groups, has displayed Pride banners during June for the past several years.

However, a complication in the group's March application delayed its approval, and another organization submitted an application for banner displays a little more than 24 hours later.

A local chapter of Turning Point USA applied to display "America's Family Month" banners during the same period.

Many commenters during the city's public comment period over the past several months said they believed the application was a deliberate, calculated attempt by the Turning Point USA chapter to interfere with NCW Equity Alliance's usual Pride Month celebration and not a sincere expression of support for families.

Several people also alleged that city staff were not impartial in processing organizations' applications.

On Thursday, a council member read the 2026 proclamation, which states:

"Now, Therefore, I, Mike Poirier, Mayor of the City of Wenatchee, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2026 as ‘PRIDE MONTH' in the City of Wenatchee, and encourage everyone to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, respect the rights of all people, and to celebrate the great diversity of our City by attending the Wenatchee Pride Fest 2026 on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Lincoln Park."

Zo Jaspers, a Wenatchee Pride board member and local minister, spoke about the upcoming June 20 event and thanked the council for reading the proclamation.

"We hope that this is the first step in regaining the community's trust, and we would also like to acknowledge that a proclamation is only as meaningful and impactful as it is backed up with sincere action and policy," Jaspers said. "A community's symbols are important. We, as a community, are more than a flag or a banner or a proclamation, but these things are a lifeline communicating to people who don't always feel safe in a place that they call home."

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 8:45 PM.