'A deeper sense of love': Thousands celebrate pride in Spokane days after mass protests erupted

Yahoo

18 hours ago

Jun. 14—More than 10,000 people lined the streets for the Spokane Pride parade on Saturday as thousands more spread throughout festivities in Riverfront Park.
The event brought a plethora of vendors and participants dressed to the nines in flashy garb and waving pride flags, blanketing Riverfront Park in a rainbow display of community acceptance.
Pride kicked off at noon with a parade across Main Avenue led by youth carrying a sign reading "LOVE ALWAYS WINS" and masses of white-cloaked Spokane Pride PEACE Angels. They were followed by dozens of festival-goers holding the sides of a giant pride flag.
One of the participants holding the massive flag was first-time pride participant Luz Giron, who attended the event with her friends, sibling and fiancée. Today's political climate is a little scarier for the gay community, she explained.
"But we're still here," Giron said. "It's a party, so we're gonna do OK."
Onlookers erupted in applause as parade participants waved with fervent cheer, passing out rainbow stickers and pride flags while bubbles and pop music filled the air.
Another prominent parade participant was Dale Briese, this year's Rainbow Grand Marshal of 2025. Briese, an HIV-positive advocate, was honored for his history initiating various local nonprofits for the LGBTQ+ community, including the Spokane AIDS Network and Inland Northwest AIDS Coalition, as well as his work as a therapist.
He first attended Pride in 1992 and is thrilled to see how much the event has grown since.
"I think it's bringing out a deeper sense of love," Briese said. "Because at least we're recognizing who can love and who can say the word 'peace' and live and energize with it."
Following the parade, onlookers flocked to Riverfront Park to visit the hundreds of local vendors and enjoy live music from five different stages.
Backlash to the celebration this year was minimal. A few anti-LGBTQ protestors took held signs at Howard Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard, but they were quickly surrounded by the white wings and signs of the Spokane Pride PEACE Angels.
This year's Pride falls at an uncertain time in the LGBTQ+ community as transgender servicemembers are being forced out of the military by order of President Donald Trump and other trans rights have shrunk.
Multiple past sponsors that previously helped fund Spokane Pride walked away this year, a nationwide trend for Pride festivals in a climate of economic uncertainty and increased anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.
Though organizers were left scrambling, other local sponsors stepped in.
Corporations that backed out of this year's Pride include Walmart, Verizon Wireless and Anheuser-Busch.
Brandon Haddock, director of Gonzaga University's Lincoln LGBTQ+ Resource Center, said for the first time the center became a Gold sponsor for Spokane Pride, partly because corporations backed out.
"We were going to be a sponsor no matter what, because I truly believe that it's a part of our mission, and it is imperative that higher education, and students ... should be supportive," Haddock said.
He emphasized that even though large corporation support is helpful, the local community is what makes Spokane Pride special.
"Corporations and big money are awesome, right? But our community, we know how to do it. We know how to take care of our own," Haddock said.
Ray Clark, operations manager for Lime, said the scooter and bicycle rental company is committed to working with Spokane Pride even beyond transportation.
"We are proud to stand with the LGBTQIA plus community and hundreds of our cities that we operate around the world and will continue to do so," Clark said.
Nestled next to the Great Northern Clocktower, the Odyssey Youth Movement's booth provided a space for the younger queer community members with a specially designated zone for 13- to 18-year-olds, featuring activities like button-making and board games.
Chandler Wheeler, the movement's outreach manager, emphasized the importance of supporting LGBTQ+ kids in today's political climate.
"We have a lot of young people who are really scared and who are seeing national examples of them not being welcomed in spaces," Wheeler said. "I think it's really, really important that we show them that they are welcome and that they can be anywhere that they want to be."
Spokane Pride this year also falls on "No Kings Day," a nationwide protest countering the Trump Administration and the president's military parade in Washington, D.C.
For many community members, LGBTQ issues are interlinked with other struggles marginalized groups face under this administration.
Lorena Rodriguez, a Spokane resident, said this was her first year as one of the angels in the Spokane Pride parade.
For her, standing for Latinos who are part of the LGBTQ community, in addition to being targeted by the Trump administration, is why she wanted to take part in the event.
"It's scary, for sure, but I can still voice my opinion, and I want my voice to be heard for those people who cannot," Rodriguez said.
Miah Shirley, also a first-time angel for Spokane Pride, said she was inspired to get more involved, considering the recent protests on the mass deportations and backlash to the LGBTQ+ community.
She added her goal is to continue informing community members about the current political climate and finding different ways to help.
"'I've talked to those who are here with us today, and they're very disheartened to see the response of us expressing our First Amendment rights," said Shirley, who works for Spokane Public Schools' Express program. "And so I feel like that all ties into what is going on here today."