Pride Month celebrated in Ronan park
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RONAN — Rainbow flags of all sizes waved at the Ronan City Park on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Pride Month and support the LGBTQ community.
Pride was celebrated by millions of LGBTQ people and allies in many communities around the world this past month with parades, films, art and more. In Ronan, SAFE Harbor, an organization providing emergency shelter, crisis intervention and advocacy to those who need it, hosted the Pride celebration. Community members were invited to a picnic in the park with food and games for all ages. The theme was simple: “Love is Love.”
“We’ve had a fabulous turnout this year,” said organizer Dana Grant of the estimated 100 people who filtered through the park during the three-hour event. He added that this was the fourth year for the event, although the COVID-19 pandemic derailed last years celebration.
Under the park pavilion, participants were invited to have a piece of rainbow colored cake after a free lunch of various salads, chicken and water melon.
“We had our biggest turnout this year. People wanted to celebrate something and find happiness after COVID,” Grant said. “I think this will continue to grow each year as more people learn about it.”
The event also offered people in the LGBTQ community a safe place to gather and feel included as equal rights and social justice are still a struggle. “We heard from young people who have said they haven’t felt like they had a safe place to be themselves in the community, but they felt this event was safe so they decided to come and we welcome them. We welcome everyone of all ages, families, and all,” Grant said. “This is a wonderful day for our community with so many people coming out to support this event.”
The Pride Foundation provided funding for the event to purchase food and games. The foundation is the only LGBTQ community foundation serving the Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Their mission is to advance equality for LGBTQ people in all communities and address the causes of discrimination.
“Creating long-lasting, systemic change will take the same values of courage, compassion and conviction that have guided the Pride Foundation since our doors opened,” organizers state of the foundation’s 30-year history.
The Pride Foundation is also providing funding for community-wide events focused on inclusion this fall in Lake County. Grant said anyone can contact him at SAFE Harbor if they are interested in helping with events or participating. His email address is dana@safeharbormt.org.
As for the rainbow flags, Grant wrote about the history in a press release to bring attention to the event. He said the rainbow flag was created by artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 as a symbol of Pride. “Today, there are many variations of the original flag, representing other populations and communities,” he said. Pride Month was recognized as an official federal holiday in 1999. Grant said significant changes happened since that time in connection to the holiday, including the U.S. Supreme Court requiring that all states grant same-sex marriages in June of 2015.
SAFE Harbor hosted the event as part of the ongoing work to promote a safe and supportive community for all and can be reached at 406-676-0992.
