June is Pride Month, and this year, high desert residents and visitors can look forward to a month-long, multifaceted celebration that showcases the vibrancy and diversity of the local LGBTQ+ community.
Events will include performances, art shows, open mics and parties—all infused with a sense of community.
“Soul is being imbued into this year’s events,” said T. Hammidi, of Joshua Tree, who was one of the initial organizers of Joshua Tree Pride and runs the California Hi-Desert Queer and Trans Oral History Project. “Throughout the high desert, there’s interesting, creative collaborations across generations of LGBTQ+ people. Young and old, we need each other.”
The high desert has long drawn members of the LGBTQ+ community looking for refuge, creative space, an affordable cost of living, and inspiration from the unique landscape.
“As a rural place, the high desert has a very well-connected, resourceful and inviting queer community,” said Corinna Rosella, owner of Milk Thistle Apothecary in Yucca Valley.
Lady Chilane, a drag performer who moved to Joshua Tree from Tennessee in 2022, referred to the high desert as “a vortex that attracts a certain type of people. I’m all about authenticity, and this community keeps it real.”
Today’s Pride celebrations have their roots in events that started in the late ’00s as a way to increase LGBTQ+ visibility in the desert, advocate for equal rights, share resources and pay homage to the Stonewall rebellion that sparked the LGBTQ+ rights movement nationally. What began as a performance and festival emanating at the Art Queen gallery in Joshua Tree has expanded into a constellation of events across the Morongo Basin. Newer local businesses and organizations owned and run by LGBTQ+ community members and their allies have recently created more spaces for queer-centered events.
“These businesses are really important for creating queer-affirming spaces, especially with oppressive laws and hateful rhetoric under the current administration,” Rosella said.
Businesses like the Tiny Pony tavern in Yucca Valley, La Copine in Flamingo Heights, The Station and Mas o Menos in Joshua Tree, the shops at Corner62 and Ryan Heffington’s DESERTRADE residency in Twentynine Palms regularly host events that center, platform and promote queer artists and performers.
OBSIDIENNE, a drag artist, emcee and classical-music performer, co-produces the monthly HORSE GIRL drag show which blends theater, performance and art at Tiny Pony.
“The high desert is a very interesting place for creative liberation that’s open minded and down for whatever,” OBSIDIENNE said. However, they note that there’s a lack of brown people leading initiatives in the high desert, and are grateful that Tiny Pony has offered them a venue to put BIPOC performers and trans women in the spotlight.
Jill Hill, a HORSE GIRL co-producer and video artist, said they’re fighting the myth that queer people can only be safe and visible in urban areas.
“There’s power for folks to establish community outside of major centers, to meet and experience queer joy everywhere,” Hill said. “We’re flipping the script and doing this on our own terms.”
“There’s a lot of misinformation and hatred out there right now, and we need more exposure of the LGBTQ+ community so our children have safe spaces to live and be who they want to be.”
Chris Kallgren
Celebrating Pride is especially important this year due to the current presidential administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ stances. Chris Kallgren helped produce some of the original Joshua Tree Pride events.
“Pride events are important for awareness, especially for young people,” Kallgren said. “There’s a lot of misinformation and hatred out there right now, and we need more exposure of the LGBTQ+ community so our children have safe spaces to live and be who they want to be.”
While Pride celebrations in the high desert have always been homegrown, festivals in larger cities have been losing corporate sponsorships; OBSIDIENNE said this means performers are losing out on income. This shift is a challenge—but also a return to the roots of Pride.
“We have to remember the original Pride was a riot, and trans women and drag queens tore down walls for us at Stonewall,” they said. “This year, we’re celebrating resilience, but it’s also a fight. We have to applaud the people who lift us up and create space for us. We’re bringing Pride back to the community and making it good for everyone.”
Those looking to find queer joy in the high desert during Pride month will have many opportunities. Highlights announced as of this writing include:
- The annual Joshua Tree Mermaid Parade, organized by artist Aaron Sheppard, and a contest for the best “art queen,” hosted by Lady Chilane, at Art Queen gallery on Saturday, June 21.
- A community painting and open mic event at Corner62 in Twentynine Palms hosted by Hammidi, on Sunday, June 22. The paint party is from 2 to 5 p.m.; the open mic is from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
- Various performances and celebrations at Tiny Pony, including HORSE GIRL’s “That’s So Neigh” themed event at 10 p.m., Friday, June 20.
- A tarot-themed art show at Milk Thistle opening at 6 p.m., Friday, June 20.
- An exhibition of local queer artists at the Beatnik Lounge in Joshua Tree. The Beatnik will also host Feral Fusion, a monthly open mic whose June edition takes place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, where Hammidi will discuss her California Hi-Desert Queer and Trans Oral History Project.
- All month, Desert Bingo will feature pride-related themes and prizes at Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown, on Mondays at 6:30 p.m., with proceeds benefitting local nonprofits that uplift the LGBTQ community.
- The Pride Ball will close out the month on Saturday, June 28, kicking off at 7 p.m. the old sportsman’s lounge at the Joshua Tree RV and Campground. Co-hosted by Lady Chilane and Jeff Hafler of Beauty Bubble Salon, the party will feature drag performances, food, music and DJs.
Capturing the overall spirit of pride in the high desert, Lady Chilane said: “Come as you are; come how you want to come—and dress your gay best!”
Updated on June 5 with an event date change.