2023 Pride Parade & Festival Recap

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The Human Rights Campaign declared their first ever state of emergency last week for LGBTQIA2S+ Americans following an “unprecedented and dangerous spike” in anti-LGBTQ legislation. To show up as your truest self and live in joy is an act of resistance in itself. Everyone involved in Spokane’s 2023 Pride Parade and Festival created the space to do so and be one’s self.

The increase in participants and popularity of this annual community event is proof it isn’t just a by-product of a society starved for human connection and making up for lost time following a global pandemic. Members of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities and its allies showed up once again to let oppressors know they are never going back, in alignment with this year’s Spokane Pride’s theme.

The parade kicked off at noon and was led by Spokane’s two-spirit and Indigiqueer community (two-spirited individuals are Native Americans with a third gender or nonbinary identity). The entire event had significantly expanded from last year with over 160 vendors and five stages of entertainment throughout Riverfront Park. New to this year’s celebration was an interactive map through its website that made it easy to find every vendor, stage and restroom, and event alerts that participants could sign up for. Another addition was that the youth area had its own stage and entertainment. Festivities went until 6pm.

We want to thank Spokane Pride, all the organizers and community partners for the opportunity to march alongside our LGBTQ+ community. We were a proud Silver Sponsor of Spokane’s 2023 Pride Parade and Festival.

More Ways To Support & Engage Beyond June

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LGBTQIA2S+ communities deserve to be celebrated and protected. Learn more about how you can continue celebrating Pride throughout the month of June and into July, as July is Disability Pride Month.

Consider registering for our July Pathways Forward event. It will feature panelists from The Arc of Spokane and Inland Northwest Disability Experience (INDEx, which is operated through Disability Action Center NW). Register here: ywcaspokane.org/pathways-forward-disability-pride.

Center those most marginalized. Pride is designed to honor the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community. We know, like with many marginalized communities, that violence and discrimination aren’t equally distributed. Black LGBTQ+ people, especially Black trans people, are the most likely to experience violence and discrimination. When engaging with Pride content, supporting brands or organizations, or simply learning more this month, be sure to center the people and initiatives addressing this.

Shop local. If you’re eager to get decked out in Pride gear, consider shopping from LGBTQ+-led small businesses! This ensures more of your money goes directly to supporting LGBTQ+ communities instead of brands that might be profiting off of the month but still investing in anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. Live Local INW’s business directory has a filter for LGBTQIA2S+ owned businesses, which you can view here: livelocalinw.com

Donate locally. Find grassroots organizations supporting LGBTQ+ communities, preferably ones led by people of color and trans folks. These initiatives, which can be local nonprofit organizations, communities, or some form of mutual aid, almost always provide more urgent and responsive care to LGBTQ+ communities in real-time than larger orgs. This by no means implies national or state-wide organizations don’t deserve support. But by giving locally, you can make a more direct and tangible impact on LGBTQ+ communities right now. Spectrum Center Spokane, Odyssey Youth Movement, and Spokane Pride are just a few organizations that come to mind.

Make your stance clear. Whether it’s your bumper or your social media channels, use the space you have to make your stance clear. A message that you support trans youths’ right to seek gender-affirming care or that queer people do not deserve to be discriminated against at work is a clearer message and further educates your audience than a standard pride message. (Please do this to the extent that you feel safe to do so.)

Get into policy. Learn about the legislation affecting queer and trans people in your date. How you can actively rally against this legislation? What is the role of your community or company in supporting legislators attacking LGBTQ+ rights? This can look like writing letters, hosting a sit-in for community members, joining protests, or divesting corporate dollars from political campaigns. Track anti-trans legislation bills with translegislation.com.