Your Gorge Guide to Pride 2021
Happy Pride Month!
June is Pride Month, a month to promote visibility, affirmation, dignity, and equality for LGBTQIA+ folx around the world and right here in our Columbia River Gorge communities. It’s a month full of rainbows and celebrations of love, and although the pandemic has continued to make gatherings such as parades and festivals difficult there are still many ways to celebrate Pride month this year.
Here are a few ways you can gather in community and show your pride this month!
For Youth
Learn how to start a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at your school.
Join local Columbia River Gorge LGBT Youth Leadership!
Get involved in making the Gorge a more Queer-friendly place. Learn more here.
For Everyone
1. Attend Pride Events in your community.
Get a Free Pride Flag
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays during the month of June at 7 - 8 PM
Where: Goldendale Courthouse
Show your pride by decorating your town in all the colors of the rainbow! Pick up a free pride flag from Andrew Halm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in front of the Goldendale Courthouse.
Source. Everything Goldendale’s Facebook.
Gorge Roller Derby Rainbow Rollout
When: Various times
Where: Various locations
Gorge Roller Derby is hosting several "rainbow rollouts” to celebrate Pride in the Gorge! Bring your pride colors, your skates, and get ready to roll out!
Gorge Pride in the Park Picnic
When: Friday June 25th at 5 PM
Where: Hood River Waterfront Park
An informal Pride in the Park Picnic will occur in parks around the Gorge including Hood River Waterfront Park on June 25th and 26th. (Stay tuned to the Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance’s social media channels for details.)
Drive Thru Pride
When: June 26th 10 AM- 11 PM
Where: Meet up at a the Salmon in downtown Hood River
Help Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance celebrate their 5th year of pride events in The Gorge. Dress up, make a sign and be there by 10 AM to stand on the sidewalk and wave your pride flags and signs for passersby!
LGBTQ+ Arts & Crafts Fair at Westwind Frame and Gallery
When: June 26th, 2021 1:00 PM
Where: Westwind Frame and Gallery in The Dalles
Showcase your artwork and creativity as an LGBTQ+ artist.
Meet other makers, and check out the work of other LGBTQ+ artists and makers in the Gorge.
Call Westwind Frame and Gallery at (541) 298-2552 for more information on how to become a vendor.
FREE Pride Photo Shoot and Social at Joy Reyneke Photography!
…and get a chance to win a free photoshoot from Joy Reyneke Photography
When: June 27th, 2021 (Photos: ALL DAY, Social: 6 PM to 9 PM)
Where: Joy Reyneke Photography Studio in downtown The Dalles.
Photographer Joy Reyneke will host a photo shoot to capture local LGBT+ folx dressed in Pride regalia on June 27th at her studio in downtown The Dalles.
“Bring your partners, friends & family, dress up and let's have some fun,” said Reyneke. “Please call to schedule your time slot.”
“Next month I would get the portraits printed and displayed in my studio for a Pride walk through gallery show,” said Reyneke “I have done this project before and it has been so fun, successful and safe. I would love to see if this is something this community would enjoy.”
Not interested in being photographed but want to socialize?
Reyneke will be hosting a Pride Social from 6 PM to 9 PM!
The fare: A bartender will serve adult beverages from 6-9 PM.
Prize: Photoshoot will be gifted for the best costume and picture.
Location: 421 East 2nd Street, The Dalles Oregon 97058
OREGON state COVID mandates will be in play.
Attend Goldendale’s First Ever Pride!
When: July 31st, 2021
Where: The Dirty Cowgirl in Goldendale, Washington
Stay tuned to the Goldendale Happenings Fb and Everything Goldendale FB for details about Goldendale’s first ever pride. This family friendly event is tentatively scheduled to take place on July 31st, 2021 at The Dirty Cowgirl.
Attend an in-person or virtual Pride Event in Portland.
When: All month long
Where: Online
Wear rainbows, dance, and hang out with your community! This year's events include concerts, LGBTQ Veteran’s night, a film festival, drag brunch, a trans remembrance vigil, and a virtual parade.
Or attend Seattle’s Virtual Pride Event featuring headliner Big Freedia.
2. Learn Local LGBT History
Read Our Article on Marie Equi, local lesbian sufferagist, and Check Out Michael Helquist’s book, Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions.
Mary Equi, was an MD in a time when women were not doctors.
She was a women’s rights activist and a lesbian who lived openly as herself in The Dalles.
She famously horsewhipped a man named Reverend Taylor in the street, who was known for his less than moral business practices, in front of a cheering crowd after he refused to pay her lover’s salary as a teacher at the Wasco Independent Academy. Read more here, or check out Helquist’s biography on Equi from The Dalles Wasco County Library.
Learn How Wasco County Passed a Non-Discrimination Ordinance
Listen to Linda and Brian Stahl of The Dalles tell the story of how Wasco County became the only county in Eastern Oregon to pass a non-discrimination ordinance before the statewide measure passed.
Learn Oregon and Washington’s Queer History.
Check out this timeline showing the USA’s LGBT history.
3. Join The Dalles Wasco County Library’s Pride Book Club
This book group reads LGBTQIA books and meets on the second Thursday of the month, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Book’s they’ve read in the past include The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, Fingersmith by Sarah Walters, Dog Years by Mark Doty, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.
Learn more about the book club here.
4. Learn Surprising LGBT Statistics
Acceptance of LGBT people has increased dramatically in the USA in recent years.
Nearly 72 percent of Americans surveyed said they are accepting of LGBT people.
As a result, LGBT people in the United States of America have won many important legal victories in recent years, including the right to marry in 2015, only 6 years ago.
Although acceptance and legal rights continue to be regionally localized.
According to recent surveys, 5.6 percent to 6.4 percent of adults in the US identify as LGBT.
Recent surveys show that LGBT people make up about 6% of the Oregon and Washington Workforce.
But in actuality, this number may be much higher.
LGBT people are often underreported and under-surveyed.
The US Census does not ask about LGBT identification and the polls and studies that do rely on self-reporting.
In addition, older adults are more likely to live closeted lives than youth today and report themselves as being straight or choose not to answer the question when surveyed.
In Oregon, approximately 207,000 people ages 13+ identify as LGBT.
And in Washington nearly 342,000 people ages 13+ identify as LGBT.
The Generational Divide
To give an idea of how big the gap between adult and youth LGBT statistics may be, a recent study said that nearly 15 percent of Gen Z youth self-identified as LGBT. Many believe that as acceptance of LGBT identities becomes more widespread, it is likely that the percentage of LGBT folx willing to identify themselves in polls will continue to rise.
It’s estimated that 23,000 Oregon youth ages 13-17 identify as LGBT.
And in Washington, that number nearly doubles to 43,000.
LGBT Statistics in the Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia Gorge has a thriving LGBT community, but just how big is it exactly?
Using national averages to calculate LGBT populations in the Gorge shows us that roughly 1,400 adults in Wasco County, 1,300 adult residents of Hood River County, and 1,200 adults in Klickitat County, 600 adults in Skamania County, and 45,000 adults in Multnomah County statistically likely identify as LGBTIA+.
For LGBT youth statistics we did not locate any percentages or hard numbers. However, in total population only, there is an estimated 4,000 youth in Wasco County, 3,500 youth in Hood River County, 3,200 youth in Klickitat County, 1,100 youth in Skamania County, and 121,900 youth in Multnomah County. (It should be noted that these are VERY rough estimates made using national averages.)
5. Support Local LGBT Businesses and Non-Profits
Show support for LGBT folx in your community by supporting their businesses and by supporting non-profits that work to create equality for LGBT folx in the Columbia River Gorge.
Some Local LGBT Owned Businesses Include:
Yarrow School of Collective Wellness
The Roasted Salt Co.
Immense Imagery
Sammy’s Woodland
Some Non-Profits Providing Services to LGBT folx include:
Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance
Washington Gorge Action Programs
The Next Door
6. Learn How to be a Better LGBT Ally
Ally is a verb.
Being an ally isn’t just something you are it’s something you do. No one it perfect and we can all work towards being better allies to our friends and neighbors! So here are a few ways to practice being an ally this month.
Learn the importance of pronouns.
Add your pronouns to your email signature.
Adding your pronouns to your email signature helps normalize pronoun usage for trans and nonbinary folx. Not sure where to start? Check out these examples.
Read these 10 Ways to be an LGBT Ally or Vox's This is What a Good LGBT Ally looks like.
Learn about LGBTQ Equality in your state using interactive maps.
Check out LGBTMap.org to learn more about policies affecting legal equality for LGBT folx in your region.
Learn about Indigenous Perspectives on LGBT Equality
Watch this video from the Northwest Portland Indian Health Board following three Indigenous Two-Spirit individuals from the Northwest Portland area as they journey towards self-acceptance, finding supportive healthcare, and finding communities that celebrate them.
7. Support Local LGBT Representation by Supporting Honest Local News
Help support honest local news that includes LGBTQIA+ representation by subscribing for as little as $1 a month.
