The Utah Pride Festival is about love, inclusion and progression—a way to open the summer months with togetherness as opposed to divisiveness. Whether you walk in the parade or observe from the side, at Pride, you will witness a spectrum of individuals who are gathered to celebrate unity among all individuals and allies within the LGBTQ+ community.
This year’s Pride displayed the best of these individuals as they came out for the weekend’s festivities armed with signs, smiles and bright-colored everything in the name of expression, pride and a move toward a more progressive future. People of all backgrounds showed up to give as much support to the community as they could. There are few events on Salt Lake’s calendar that offer such a wave of inclusion and positivity. Pride has grown to become a staple of Utah’s summers, and the festival’s trajectory only seems to be trending upward.
The streets of downtown Salt Lake were flooded with massive crowds looking on as the annual parade made it’s march on 200 South from West Temple to 400 East. People then moved their way from the streets to Washington Square Park, where groups were greeted to activities, food and entertainment during the final day of the Pride Festival.
In photos taken at Washington Square, John Barkiple captures the individuals and stories that make Utah’s Pride Festival thrive and grow year after year. Images of the parade from Logan Sorenson display the outward joy expressed by crowd and marchers alike on a gorgeous Sunday celebration of love and the Utah LGBTQ+ community.
Take a look at some wonderful photos from the 2018 Pride Festival in the galleries below.
(L-R) Ken, Megan, Hannah and Salem head to Salt Lake’s Pride Festival. “Being a student at the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts (and a part time student at Highland High), it’s easy to say that my school is welcoming to LGBTQ+ students. I think that the key to feeling comfortable within your school is finding friends and teachers that make you feel supported. If you ever feel victimized or unsafe in school because of your sexuality, I think it is imperative to reach out to your administrators and ensure that you are treated fairly. I think Highland and SLSPA do a great job of making safe spaces for students,” Hannah said.
Photo: John Barkiple
Wes said that there’s more to Salt Lake’s LGBTQ+ scene than just the Pride Festival. Among them, he participates with QUAC, the Queer Utah Aquatic Club. It’s welcoming to all types, and offers classes in swim and water polo for all ages and orientations. He plans to travel to Paris for the Gay Games, competing with QUAC’s water polo team. “Salt Lake itself is very welcoming, which is strange, because it’s supposed to be very religious here,” he said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Kelly and Madi have attended the pride parade since Madi was a baby. “School was challenging, definitely, but there were always teachers and other people that I knew that supported me and let me know that it was O.K. to be myself,” Madi said. Her mom, Kelly, agrees. “It seems easier than when I grew up here. I was not a Mormon, and people were like ‘whoa,’ but now it doesn’t matter.” Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Isabella and Star met in a high school astronomy class. “When I met Isabella—and she comes from a very Mormon family—I thought I really liked this girl, and I had a crush on her. I wasn’t on testosterone when we met, and then I started testosterone three months after we started dating. It’s super cool because she’s never experienced anything like that, but she does my shot for me every week. She’s been there for my whole transition, and she goes to my doctor’s appointments. I don’t have a ton of support from my family, and I didn’t expect that from her.” Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Teo and Schuyler make the most of resource centers like Encircle in Orem and the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake. Teo appreciates the counselling and group therapy available at Encircle, and Schuyler’s oldest sister worked at the Utah Pride Center, so he knew where to find a binder when a trans friend needed help and supportive friends. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Jazmyne and Jaiden heard that Salt Lake is the second gayest city in the U.S. Jazmyne really felt like part of Salt Lake’s community when she was walking to RuPaul’s Drag Race Christmas Queens Show. “There was no parking, and there were just so many people walking along and completely decked out. You’d see somebody and they’d immediately recognize, ‘Oh, you’re going to this, too.’ They’d start talking, and it didn’t matter who. They were randomly giving people hugs. It was just a really sweet moment. On stage, the drag queens talked about how Salt Lake was an amazing place to perform because so many people were so welcoming.” Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Ajia and Kaitlynn both work at Red Robin, and find that their coworkers are very supportive. Kaitlynn is very shy, so the support she receives means a lot to her—it’s like they’re a family that makes you feel welcome no matter what. Ajia appreciates the support Mormons give the LGBTQ community through their participation in the parade. “Honestly, when I saw how big the Mormon’s float was, it surprised me. I just wouldn’t expect that…most people wouldn’t expect that. Everyone was so supportive. I have some family that’s LDS, and they’re not necessarily supportive, but they’re not hateful, and they still love me,” Ajia said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Kyle and Beverly brought the Dilly Dilly to the Pride Parade and the Pride Festival. “Pride was one of the first times I realized how welcoming and accepting Salt Lake was because it showed how many people came out to gather around in support of the LGBT community and the tremendous amount of love from all different walks of life. I think there’s a lot of acceptance happening in Salt Lake City. Pride’s just a beautiful day, and it warms your heart,” Beverly said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Mia and Natasha think that Salt Lake has become more welcoming in the last five years. “A lot of Mormons are trying make an effort to actually do things in the community, and a lot of people don’t see that—they just see the part of the church that they don’t like. There’s a couple of Mormon groups in the parade, too,” Natasha said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Cameron, Rylee, Layla, Kelly and Joe take a lap around the festival grounds. Kelly thinks that Salt Lake is moving in the right direction, but he and his family have been outside the Salt Lake mainstream for generations. His grandfather came from Lebanon and founded St. Jude’s Maronite Catholic Church. “We’ve had experiences with everything,” Kelly said. He has some has some advice for anyone looking for a fresh perspective: “Get out of the suburbs and come down to the city and experience it. That goes a long way to help everyone understand the situation. There’s a lot of people who never come to downtown Salt Lake,” Kelly said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Konrad and Gordie appreciate the size of the LGBTQ+ community in Salt Lake. “I think the good thing about Salt Lake is that it’s very family oriented. A lot of people want to be independent growing up, but parents want to watch over their children. It’s super friendly, and everyone accepts everyone here,” Konrad said. Gordie brings an outsider’s perspective to Salt Lake’s scene. “I’m from Hawaii, and I moved here a few years ago. I didn’t expect the community here to be so big and inviting,” Gordie said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Love brought Payton, Tarah and Tina to the Pride Festival. “These are my people. I was gay before I met her dad 13 years ago, and we have three kids. When we’re separated, I sleep with women. Tina’s my best friend,” Tarah said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Eric and Kevin enjoy Bud Lights at Pride. “I’m a former Mormon, and I served a mission in Richmond, VA. I think I was like 30 before I started to realize where real life was versus what I was told life actually was. I don’t believe in procreation like the Mormons preach and all that shit,” Eric said. Kevin grew up as a Catholic. “My parents always told me that this was an oppressive state where the LDS church runs everything. That’s maybe true in the government, but the people here are the best people. There’s a reason that we have one of the best Pride festival in the country, right? And this is my firstPpride since I learned that I was asexual. Well, learning what it was. I’ve always known that I was asexual, I just didn’t know that it had a name. But there’s a booth here, and I didn’t know that there were other people like me. It’s been a welcoming community. Everybody’s just so great,” Kevin said. Beyond that personal experience, Kevin is impressed with the support from City Hall. “I bet there are people working this event like police officers and people from the state who might not agree with this event, but they agree that ‘We the people’ means everyone,” he said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Lindsay, Zoe and Ree rely on friends for support. Lindsay recommends the meet-ups or safe space groups on Fridays at the Utah Pride Center. Zoe likes Kaffe Mercantile. “The owners Nick and Lance are married, and they’re very kind and willing to hire people for jobs,” Zoe said. Ree appreciates that Pig & a Jelly Jar in Ogden hangs a rainbow flag all year ‘round. Lindsay and Ree were more open in high school, and they found their classmates to be accepting enough—any judgmental classmates seemed to keep their opinions to themselves. Zoe wasn’t out to anyone, so her high school experience didn’t include judgmental classmates. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Peri and Bailey are ready for refills. “We’ve come a long way from where we were 10 years ago. I just got an apartment down here because of how welcoming it is for the gay community. My parents are very supportive of who I’m with, and I have a great group of friends. People think that Salt Lake is super Mormon, but I think that’s a stereotype,” Peri said. Bailey grew up downtown. “I’ve been doing Pride with my neighbors as long as it’s been happening. I lived abroad for a number of years, and people knew the Utah Jazz and that there’s a good Pride. Second to San Francisco, it’s Utah’s Salt Lake City,” Bailey said. Photo: John Barkiple
(L-R) Jennifer and Lindsey both expected a chilly reception when they moved to Salt Lake from Charlotte, NC. Based on what their friends said, they expected to find an oppressive Mormon monoculture, but they were pleasantly surprised at how open their Sugarhouse neighborhood turned out to be. They mostly keep to themselves and their two cats and three dogs, but a massive Pride Festival drew them downtown, and they’re still happy after two and a half years in Salt Lake. Photo: John Barkiple
Droves of people line the streets as happy faces give shouts of encouragement. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
The SLUG Magazine crew shouting and waving their SLUG pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Pilot and SLUG Community Development Manager John Ford helms the SLUG cart filled to the brim with water, SLUG tees and magazine copies. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLUG crew giving out copies of the magazine and bottles of water on this hot June morning. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Parade attendees hold the California flag as a show of support for SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
All parade participants load up on top of their vehicles and are ready to go. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLUG crew giving out high fives and magazines like they’re going out of style. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
People celebrating Pride as they make their way through downtown SLC. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLC Pride participants walk, dance and jump down the parade route. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
So many friendly faces on the streets for SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Even people way above the streets attended, lining the parking garages and rooftops on the parade route. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
A group of younsters hold up a flag in support of SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Many clubs, businesses and candidates participated in the SLC Pride Parade. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
So many groups of friends are on the streets showing their love for SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLUG crews dancing in the streets as they wave their flags during SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLUG Executive Editor Angela Brown says hello and gives out copies of the magazine during SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLUG Magazine’s own John Ford passing out a little love with some bottled water to tide over crowds during the warm day. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Parade lines and celebrations reach all the way down the street. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
A never ending show of support. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Both parade spectators and participants trade off spraying each other with water bottles as the morning warms up. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski along with family, friends and the brand-spanking-new, green, recycling truck are ready to hit the road. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Local religious groups also come to show their support for SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Supporters sit and stand along all of downtown SLC and surround the Salt Palace. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
More excited parade attendees. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
Friends and family show their support by filling out the streets. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
All smiles. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLUG Magazine crew carry the banner throughout the whole parade as a show of love and support for SLC Pride. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
SLC Pride parade makes its way down 200 South , SLUG Magazine crew marching the whole way. Photo: Logan Sorenson | Lmsorenson.net
