dav.d photography

This is going to be a huge blog post! You can see over 2000 photos from Utah Pride on my SmugMug gallery. Here are just a few of those images.

Utah Pride is hosted at Washington Square in Salt Lake City on the first weekend in June. Why do we need Pride? Why do we have a parade? Why does anyone try and get attention? Because we are here, we are queer and you should be used to it by now.

Having grown up in the closet for the first 27 years of my life I know the feeling of thinking I was the only guy who liked guys – I thought I was the only gay who lived outside of San Francisco. The Pride celebration and the Pride parade are to let people know they are not alone and that there is a strong vibrant community here in Salt Lake City and other cities in Utah.

This event requires hundreds of volunteers working countless hours. Headed up by John Johnson and the Utah Pride Center the event is also a huge fundraiser. These funds are used to help homeless youth, fund community groups, awareness and programs that target the GLBT community. Learn more at the Utah Pride Center website.

The funds also bring in awesome entertainment such as comedian/actor Sandra Bernhard, the DC Cowboys (hot male dancers who were on America’s Got Talent), and other local performers.

Today, more and more, GLBT youth are able to come out of the closet and find people like them. Suicide in Utah is a huge problem and it is estimated a big percentage of those that attempt or commit suicide are GLBT youth. And there is the homeless problem in Utah. Countless youth are kicked out of their homes by parents who want to teach “tough love.” There is a certain place in hell reserved for those parents.

This year the Grand Marshal was Sister Dottie S. Dixon, who is played by Charles Lynn Frost. She is a Mormon mother from Spanish Fork, Utah, and she has a gay son named Donny.

I was not familiar with Sandra Bernhard – I had seen her on the Will & Grace show – and that was the extent of my knowledge. She was awesome. Hilarious, witty, and a great vocal talent.

And no Pride would be complete without the Saliva Sisters.

And the Pride flag wraps up the Pride Parade. Hundreds of people carry the flag including this kid with the broken arm – just too cute.

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Posted in GLBT Events | Tags: dc cowboys, gay, interfaith service, john johnson, lesbians, march, parade, pride, pride center, protest, salt lake city, transgender, utah aids foundation, utah pride, volunteers, washington square