Photo Gallery: Hood River First Friday Shows It's Pride
By Cole Goodwin
Hood River, Ore, June 10, 2024 – Hood River’s First Friday event served rainbow accented looks, prideful allyship, music, fun, and community resources on June 7 in downtown Hood River. The event aimed to foster community acceptance, raise awareness of local resources, and promote local businesses.
Community members came out to celebrate love and acceptance in the community, enjoy music, food, crafts, play Drag Bingo at the Hood River Hotel and enjoy gathering together in community.
This year there was also a booth for Columbia Gorge Open and Affirming local churches that are accepting of LGBTQ+ identities. The booth featured a button making station and a queer blessings exhibit.
Andy Wade and Miranda Bermes staff a booth that shares information about Open and Affirming Churches in the Columbia River Gorge.
The collaboration of Churches came about as a part of an intentional process to become open and affirming churches, and extend an explicit and unconditional welcome to the LGBTQIA+ community.
”We’ve come together because our religions all have a common history of persecuting queer people and we need to come together and say we can get alone and we love you,” said Andy Wade, Pastor at Beth Congregational Church in Hood River.
“We’re here as a reminder that spirituality and sexuality and gender non-conformity are not diametrically opposed forces and they can exist happily together and religion is inherently affirming,” said Miranda Bermes, Pastor at Spirit of Grace Lutheran-Methodist Church.
Other open and accepting churches involved int he booth included Riverside Community Church and United Church of Christ Congregational.
Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance sharing resources with the community at First Friday.
Freedom Ciavarello places rainbow hairsparkles in a community members hair at the JDRE Real Broker LLC information booth.
One Community Health sharing resources at First Friday.
U.S. Forest Service employees spreading messages of acceptance and outdoor education.
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