San Jose may celebrate Pride Month in June, but it’s not over until Silicon Valley Pride has its parade and festival in August.
In today’s political climate, Silicon Valley Pride’s event on Aug. 29 and 30 is more important than ever, advocates said. The celebration brings a sense of community and belonging to participants, which is especially needed due to anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and legislation.
“We are getting so much hate right now towards our community,” Silicon Valley Pride Interim CEO Jerry Mai told San José Spotlight. “We have to remind ourselves… that we, too, are humans. The only way we can face this hatred is together.”
This year’s Silicon Valley Pride’s theme “Flourish and Bloom” is a reminder for LGBTQ+ people to stay visible, he said.
“Just remember that you’re not alone,” Mai said. “When I came out at 16, my family kicked me out. I struggled with homelessness and there were many times when I felt that life was done. Don’t be afraid to reach out and to talk to others. The people who shaped me, that’s my chosen family.”
Mai said when he discovered Silicon Valley Pride, he realized he wasn’t the only one struggling.
He hopes the community continues to embrace the LGBTQ+ culture, even though there’s been a 12% drop in corporate sponsorship this year. But even with the decrease, he appreciates the corporate support and turnout the festival does receive.
Silicon Valley Pride used to be San Jose Pride with its celebration in June, but to avoid competing with San Francisco’s festival, the date shifted, former CEO Nicole A. Denson said. The switch allows performers and vendors to attend multiple events.
She said Silicon Valley Pride is a vibrant, beautiful festival reflecting the LGBTQ+ community.
“It is a place where people can come and be themselves,” Denson told San José Spotlight. “Be as expressive or flamboyant or dressed up as they want to and feel warm and accepted.”
Ken Yeager, former Santa Clara County Supervisor and Silicon Valley’s first openly gay official, said “Pride” is the right word to describe the celebration which brought self-esteem to gay people who felt rejected by society in the 1970s.
“For people to be able to become proud of who they were and to express it in such an open way was such an act of defiance,” Yeager told San José Spotlight. “It’s wonderful that the community can celebrate itself, along with our allies, to reiterate that we are worthy people and we contribute a lot to our society.”
The LGBTQ+ community can find resources at the festival and have a good time in a safe space, Mai said. More small businesses and LGBTQ+ owned businesses are participating this year. Silicon Valley Pride operates on a $450,000 budget.
The board, made up of volunteers, starts setting up at the crack of dawn. The two-day event includes performances and a family garden with Drag Queen Storytime, dress-up and coloring activities. The San Jose Sharks and Bay Area Valkyries will have booths at the event. Last year there were about 150 floats in the parade, and it may be even larger this year, the organizers said.
“We do all the legwork, and we put our sweat into it. We recognize how important the festival is to our community,” Mai said. “It’s an amazing experience. It’s going to be vibrant with a lot of flowers and a lot of beautiful colors.”
Gabrielle Antolovich, board president of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center, said the community is doing its best to support each other and “stay fabulous as queer people” while picking its battles against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
“Not only is it still relevant because of the anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments out there,” Antolovich said, “but it’s still relevant for us to be out there celebrating who we are.”
Denson said Pride is vital for a community being sent back into the closet.
“We deserve to live free from persecution. We deserve to marry who we choose to. We deserve to be in the bodies that we feel comfortable in. We deserve to use the pronouns that we want to. Pride was born out of a need to live free from persecution for who we are. And today, more than ever, it’s very much needed.”
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.