Coming out for Pride

June gloom did not deter participants from merrily marching on as part of the Langley Pride Parade this past Saturday.

Organizers estimated over 600 people turned out for the colorful parade and festival in the Village by the Sea.

“Because it never rains on a pride parade, it stopped drizzling by noon,” Jeff Natter, president of South Whidbey Pride, said.

He noted the prevalence of other like-minded events around Whidbey, including Coupeville’s own pride parade the previous weekend and Oak Harbor’s first pride walk Saturday evening.

“I think we needed a sense of joy and pride and I think it also brought out the community’s resilience,” he said. “This year’s pride had a stronger sense of action than the last couple of years.”

Immediately following the Langley parade, attendees gathered at the South Whidbey Community Center to hear speeches from South Whidbey residents who shared their experiences and coming out stories. Many built upon the “Now More Than Ever” theme of the Langley event.

Kennedy Horstman, Langley’s out and proud mayor, worked with Natter as part of the Northwest AIDS Foundation in the ‘90s. On Saturday she spoke about the importance of coming together as a community.

“Leadership is not and it has never been easy, and it is easy to succumb to hopelessness and helplessness as an antidote,” she said. “I invite you to reflect, connect, act and don’t forget to celebrate, reflect and take heart in those who have come before us in the fight for justice.”

Whether it’s participating in a demonstration or introducing yourself to a neighbor, there are a lot of ways to fight isolation.

“I think visibility and community connection for everyone are really critical,” Horstman said Monday, reflecting on her speech. “Given the political atmosphere, the more we see each other as individual human beings, the better.”

Other speakers included Amy Wheeler, Em McLoughlin, Kimberly Wilson and Jo Moccia, the former superintendent of the South Whidbey School District and the grand marshal of this year’s Langley Pride Parade.

The event boasted record-breaking attendance numbers compared to the previous two years, along with entertainment from local drag queens, various food trucks and 40 different booths where nonprofits gave out resources and vendors sold their art and jewelry.

As a result of this year’s success, South Whidbey Pride is already looking ahead to hosting more events, such as another wildly popular drag brunch.

“It’s been such a challenging year for the queer community and its allies,” Natter said. “There are 500 bills across the nation that are either passed or being considered which are anti-LGBTQ. The trans community is under incredible attack from the current administration. There are states trying to overturn same-sex marriage.”

Michael Ferri, one of the coordinators for the Coupeville Pride Parade, voiced a similar sentiment.

“It’s a scary time for a lot of people and it’s sad to see all the advances we made in our human and civil rights movement being attacked,” he said. “We’re feeling like we’re having to start all over again.”

Just five or six weeks before, organizers scrambled to put on the Coupeville event, as its founders had recently and suddenly moved to Norway for a job opportunity. The dedicated group of volunteers ensured that the third annual parade would go on, and like Langley’s, it did so with more attendance than the previous two years.

Event speakers included Felix Hall and Rose Worley, two transgender individuals who shared their stories, and Lisa Connolley, the former pastor at the Coupeville United Methodist Church. The church has a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community on Whidbey, according to Ferri.

Carol Harrison said it started in the ’80s when she and her husband moved to the island. Rev. Gordon Harrison served for 11 years in the church as its minister. Carol had a family member who was gay, and someone in the community came out to Gordon.

“That set us off on that journey,” she said. “They were people that we loved.”

That support continued on through the AIDS epidemic and is still going strong today.

The parade was sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Art School and supported by Mayor Molly Hughes, who helped obtain permits and a colorful cake for the occasion. Many participants came straight from the “No Kings” protest held that same day along the highway in Coupeville.

“After that, many people came and joined us,” Ferri said. “We had a huge crowd, the biggest crowd we had marching in the streets as well as the sidewalks.”

He and fellow coordinator Lynne Weynand are planning to pass the leadership onto the younger generation for next year’s festivities.

“I’ve been around for a while,” the 79-year-old said. “It’s time to retire.”