After the 2016 election saw Donald Trump and Mike Pence take the White House, LGBT movements across the country have made some 2017 pride celebrations much more political.
However, this year’s Greater Palm Springs Pride, taking place Nov. 3-5, will be just like it has been in recent years. However, don’t be surprised if some of the participants take on more of a political, Trump-resisting tone.
Greater Palm Springs Pride president Ron deHarte said he’s definitely noticed a heightened political tone at some pride celebrations.
“There may be a few places where the ‘resist’ movement took a greater voice in the city over traditional pride marches or celebrations,” deHarte said. “Those, compared to the hundreds of pride events that occur across the country, have been few versus a majority.
“What we’re seeing is that there is a need to raise awareness across the country and prevent the LGBT voice from disappearing. In the case of Palm Springs, our parade and festival always (offer) an opportunity for anyone who participates to share their political statement, and share what’s important to them, and raise awareness for the issues of the day for that individual or group. We’re encouraging all participants to make their case, whatever that may be.”
The guidelines to participate in Greater Palm Springs Pride have not changed much over the years, deHarte said.
“We always state in our guidelines—and this has not changed since 2010—that what we encourage the community to do is celebrate the diversity of our community; share their radical or non-radical politics; show their support for equal rights for all individuals in our community and around the globe; share their artistic and sexual expression; and be proud. That’s what we encourage folks to do when they’re participating. That comes out when you watch the parade go by.”
DeHarte said that today in the Trump era, people who wouldn’t previously participate in Pride and other movements are now taking part.
“In California, the state voted in another direction, and I’m not sure we’re going to see any different attitudes come up,” he said. “I think we have a very outspoken community, and the community has become very politically active since the election with a number of rallies and marches that have occurred in downtown Palm Springs. I would anticipate we’ll see that continue, and I think it’s great, because people have gone to these rallies and events, and we’re seeing people who don’t normally participate come out and participate. … We’re going to have increased participation from people who may not have been involved in the political process. That’s a good a thing.”
The theme of this year’s Pride is “Viva la vida!”
“Each year, there’s a worldwide theme selected by the international pride organization called InterPride, and through the years, Palm Springs has adopted the worldwide theme occasionally—maybe just a handful of times over the past 30 years,” deHarte said. “This year, we adopted the worldwide theme in support of the movement around the world—in particular, to show support for our brothers and sisters in Central and South America.”
Palm Springs Pride continues to grow each year—dramatically so since the festival was moved from Sunrise Park to downtown in 2014. Attendance-wise, Palm Springs Pride is now the second-largest in the state, behind only San Francisco Pride.
“We’re no longer hidden behind the backdrop of a baseball field and the fences surrounding the baseball diamond over in Sunrise Park,” deHarte said. “We are as visible as you can be in downtown Palm Springs, and that says a lot for our community and for the city of Palm Springs, which has embraced the Pride Week activities to allow the festival and the parade, which causes the largest street closure annually in Palm Springs. … We have a larger presence today. That awareness is what we really strive for—increasing awareness for the LGBT movement and issues important to the folks promoting equality for all individuals.”
For more information, visit PSPride.org.