'Part of the community'
Jun. 22—PULLMAN — For 14-year-old Obsidian Hunt, Saturday's Pride celebration was a joyful opportunity for connection.
Their favorite part, Hunt said, was the rally they helped lead before parading downtown to Reaney Park.
"(Pride) makes me feel like I'm actually a part of the community," Hunt said. "It makes me feel a little bit more comfortable with who I am and it makes me feel more empowered to be who I am rather than what society wants me to be."
The celebration was the first of two Pride events in Pullman this month. Organizer Diana Whitney said including a rally felt important because of the historical and ongoing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
"Back when HIV and AIDS was killing everybody and mostly being ignored by the mainstream, there was a saying that they used to say. It was, 'You bury your friends in the morning, you protest in the afternoon, and then you dance all night.' We're in no way at that point of time anymore, but this last year has been excruciating."
Whitney, who has a transgender grandchild, referenced one example of current challenges to queer people in Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling that upheld a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming health care for minors.
Numerous sources, including a report commissioned by the Utah Legislature, which passed a ban on gender-affirming care for youth two years ago, have concluded that access to gender-affirming care was associated with positive mental health outcomes.
Chris Albano said he recently began to be more open about his identity and experience.
"I actually am transgender. I choose to be generally private about that, but I'm coming more and more to the understanding that people need to understand that there are a lot more of us than are open (about our identity) in society," Albano said.
As a child, Albano said, stories of LGBTQ+ people like Matthew Shepherd, who was beaten, tortured and left for dead in an anti-gay hate crime, kept him from coming out.
"I want a better world for young people," Albano said. "I've gotta use my voice to make that happen."
Melissa Johnson came as a member of a support group called Queers with Kids. The group originated from parents who wanted to ensure their children would have a support system of other youth with LGBTQ+ parents.
"(It was) so they could see that their family wasn't the only one who looked different from their peers," Johnson said. "They also have a unique experience that's worth being validated and celebrated."
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Organizers made a special point to make the event inclusive for families and children, Whitney said.
Anne Brown helped organize the youth portion of the events. She said her own child came out roughly a year ago. Brown said she wanted to create a space where children felt their voices were heard.
"There's a lot of anxiety (for queer kids)," she said. "To be in a space where you can interact with all these people who are from your community and who are safe and happy to see you be who you are, like, that's really meaningful."
Some of the activities included a button-making station where children could draw designs for their own personalized buttons.
Brown showed off photos of some of the younger attendees' handiwork, including one with a drawing of cats and the slogan "Sounds gay, I'm in," and another with the words, "Always existed, always will."
Brown said she wants more people to learn about the community before judging it.
"Listen, listen, listen, listen, as much as you can," she said. "I think once you actually get to know this community and these people, it's hard to be afraid."
Abby Catena, 14, had a table at the Pride event, giving away queer-inclusive books from Bruised Books in Pullman.
Many of the books don't explicitly focus on a character's LGBTQ+ identity, Catena said, but help to normalize their existence.
"Queer people (are) not some magical creature you've never met," Catena said. "It's just like, a common thing."
Over 100 people attended the rally and celebration in the park.
Next weekend, on June 29, the Pullman Pride Fest is planned for 1-5 p.m. at Reaney Park. The groups organizing the two events plan on joining forces next year.
Sun may be contacted at rsun@lmtribune.com or on Twitter at @Rachel_M_Sun. This report is made in partnership with Northwest Public Broadcasting, the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
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