On June 7, LGBTQ+ community members and allies gathered at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. The rally was an organized event by the Utah Pride Center as a part of the Utah Pride celebration for Pride Month.
The rally consisted of entertainment, music and a multitude of speakers. The speakers touched on many different topics including coming to terms with their transgender identity, political battles within Utah’s legislature and unity among the queer community.
One of the featured speakers was Audrey Cevering. Cevering spoke about her journey in coming to terms with her transgender identity.
“My first time publicly presenting as the full, authentic me at a deeply trusted friend’s house, I spent an absurd amount of time applying my makeup, carefully putting on a wig and donning an N95,” Cevering said.
Cevering said she felt like she never had before in that moment, and that was when she knew she was transgender.
Cevering continued to speak about her friends’ and family’s acceptance of her and highlighted the effect that self-love and acceptance have had on her personal life. She acknowledged that not everyone is so lucky, and that’s why Pride is important.
“My friends, that is what we are fighting for today and every day. Love that changes the world,” Cevering said. “We are here so that one day we won’t wake up in fear of what the day might bring simply because we are gay or trans.”
Jackson Lewis, another speaker at the rally and the youngest elected official in the state of Utah, spoke on current political actions taking place in the Utah legislature.
“This year, we must be conscious of what is truly radical: hate,” Lewis said. “Behind us is the state Capitol, where some of the most bigoted laws in the nation towards queer people are written and approved.”
Lewis finished his speech by speaking to the resilience that he wants the LGBTQ+ community to maintain.
“LGBTQ Utahns are never going away. We have been here since the first humans lived on this land, and we will be here long after the last bigots leave,” Lewis said. “And to the disturbing number of legislators who feel the need to relentlessly bully this community: We will outlast you, and we will win.”
Other groups attended the rally in support of the LGBTQ+ community, such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation, also known as the PSL. Dodge Hovermale, a member of PSL, spoke about why the organization supports Pride.
“We can’t separate LGBTQ liberation from the liberation of all other oppressed peoples,” Hovermale said. “We see that fight as very connected to the fight against capitalism, the fight against poverty and the fight against imperialism. We just want basic human rights for all people.”
The event was also attended by hundreds of queer people and allies who support the community. Salem Quist and Davie Bullock were two attendees at the rally.
“It’s fun just being in a place where you can completely be yourself around everybody,” Bullock said.
Quist shared that the rally highlights just how many queer people are in Utah.
“Obviously we’re a very Republican state, but there’s still a lot of queer people and a lot of people who want to celebrate this kind of thing,” Quist said.
The rally ended with participants walking a large Pride flag toward the main festival celebrations.
