Pierce County still has long way to go in accepting LGBTQ+ Pride Month, valuing who we are

Why is Tacoma Pride held in July, when most areas of the country celebrate it in June?

There are two main reasons for this:

* The weather in Western Washington is far more predictable in July. In fact it’s not uncommon to hear: “Summer starts after the 4th of July.”

Since Pride usually (pre-pandemic, anyway) includes a large street festival that serves 15,000 to 20,000 people, weather really is important.

* There are multiple communities throughout Western Washington (including Seattle) that celebrate Pride in June. One of our goals has been to avoid overlap with these other celebrations.

There are a limited number of production companies and LGBTQ+ performers across Western Washington, and they can’t perform in more than one place at the same time.

Additionally there is a historical agreement between Seattle and Tacoma to not hold their Prides during the same month.

This question of timing arose during recent public testimony to the Pierce County Council about a resolution to proclaim July as Pierce County Pride Month.

The Tacoma City Council has proclaimed July as Pride Month for seven consecutive years — unanimously. This was the County Council’s first time taking a vote on the issue.

The resolution passed with the smallest possible margin — 4 yeses, 1 no and 2 abstentions.

While it is not uncommon for urban areas to be more progressive than rural and suburban areas, and while many parts of Pierce County are considered rural and suburban, we were surprised by the number of constituents who spoke out against the resolution — both in letters and in public comment.

Of course these words are now a part of the community’s public record, showing no regard for the LGBTQ youth and young adults listening.

We shouldn’t be too surprised, given the frequency with which our building is defaced with everything from sputum to paint, from flyers to entire meals of food. But those cowardly acts come to us without context and without words.

To read and hear what people put into words about our local LGBTQ+ community is a clear sign that there are still a lot of people in Pierce County who don’t see or value our humanity.

To hear people quote scriptures or state there is no “straight pride” as reasons not to celebrate the contributions we make to our community can be very discouraging to the LGBTQ+ community.

Yes, we have come a long way from being diagnosed as mentally ill, being arrested just for our existence and being excommunicated from our churches. But there is still a long way to go.

This is the reason our organizations exist: When the world at large devalues who we are and what we have to contribute, someone needs to step up and say, “you are valued, what you have to contribute is important, and you are not less just because of your sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.”

Oasis Youth Center and Rainbow Center exist specifically for these reasons. Pride (not only in Tacoma, but across the country) exists for these reasons.

A “straight pride” celebration is not needed because straight people are not discriminated against or told they have less value because they are straight, or because they share a gender identity with the way they look and are perceived by others.

At this point, if anyone doesn’t understand this difference, it is because they don’t want to understand it.

Our missions are not only to be there for the individuals impacted by a world that doesn’t fully see or value us, but also to change the way the world perceives us as less than.

For these reasons we will not rest until every person living in Tacoma/Pierce County can walk down the street and fully be who they are without fear of discrimination, harassment or worse.

This is our commitment to our entire community.

Matthew Wilson is executive director of Oasis Youth Center. Troy Christensen is executive director of Rainbow Center. Both organizations are based in downtown Tacoma.