27 Jun Pride at Zion National Park
Happy Pride month y’all!!
One of my favorite things to do in my internship is outreach! Zion does many outreach events, in and outside of the park, for various holidays and initiatives. There has been a Pride event for a couple years now at Zion National Park. I am lucky enough to have worked two Zion Pride events now! I am so grateful to be a part of an organization that values inclusivity as much as I do.
In order to prepare for Zion pride, our team had an “Allyship” training from Equality Utah. I got to meet their Managing Director, Mindy Young, and their Public Outreach Director, Olivia Jaramillo. They had an AMAZING training for us, they give me so much hope and inspiration! They taught me this AWESOME concept (that I already used for my Pride program) of establishing a brave space, instead of a safe space. We all have heard of “safe spaces” before and we love them! They are much needed for vulnerable communities. But, in spaces that discussion is needed, a BRAVE space is better in place because it does require bravery to move along the conversations that need to be had.
I used this concept in mind while doing my Pride table program. My program was all about the Progres Flag and how it represents intersectionality to me! I had visitors paint their own progress flag while I told them about Jose Sarria, who had a life filled with many hardships for being gay and Latino, especially because he was open during a time when being gay was illegal. He went on to being one of the most famous female impersonators (now known as drag) and is famous for being the first openly gay person to run for office, campaigning for LGBTQ rights. His brave decisions led politicians to see the importance of the gay vote and led the way for more LGBTQ people to run for office in the future. 15 years after he ran, the first gay man to win a political seat, Harvey Milk, one the exact seat that Jose Sarria was running for prior.
I just love having the opportunity to have had shared these stories and it really allowed me to connect with others. For example, a therapist from a Southern Utah Veterans Affair office came to my table and asked me how he could be a better ally for his gay clients. I told him I felt like I could try to answer, being a part of LGBTQ community and attending therapy myself. I told him about establishing the brave space as a method to hopefully inspire a comfortable but productive environment for his clients, but I also reassured him that he in fact IS an ally! He was a straight man, attending pride, representing the VA, and helps give mental health services to the LGTBQ community. I told him that is an ally if I ever had seen one! He was definitely relieved, afterwards he went to visit the Equality Utah booth after talking to me about their “Allyship” training that I earlier mentioned.
Overall, I had SO much fun at Pride. I was really able to connect with others, share the amazing history of the Progress Pride flag and Jose Sarria, and I got to wear rainbow ribbons. :D
Till next time, be gay and merry!
~Gaby
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