Hundreds turn out for Palo Alto’s first Pride event

By all accounts, Palo Alto’s first Pride Month event was a resounding success.

King Plaza in front of City Hall was transformed into a sea of rainbows on Sunday afternoon, with rows of colorful pop-up tents lining the streets and hundreds of attendees (and a handful of pet dogs) adorned in pride regalia. To mark the start of the event, Mayor Vicki Veenker raised the Pride Flag to honor the LGBTQ+ community in Palo Alto.

One theme repeated by attendees was that the turnout was an unexpected delight.

Youth organizers Iris Blanchet and Alex Efremova said they began planning in October, but originally, the event was supposed to be on a much smaller scale with a narrow focus on LGBTQ+ youth. They said they were motivated by the “unfavorable national environment” toward the LGBTQ+ community that put additional strain on queer youth mental health.

But so many city officials, local nonprofits and businesses expressed early support that it caused Blanchet and Efremova to think bigger.

“I think that the lack of the Pride event here in Palo Alto was really pushing this sort of isolation for a lot of the queer youth in the city,” Blanchet said. “We’re hoping that this is going to help show people that they’re not alone.”

Several speakers alluded to the recent death by suicide of a transgender girl in Palo Alto, which left the community devastated and caused hundreds of people to advocate for greater security at the Caltrain rail crossings. Mental health experts have found that LGBTQ+ youth are at far greater risk of dying by suicide compared to their straight and cisgender peers.

State Sen. Josh Becker said it’s easy to take for granted the celebrations of LGBTQ+ community on the Peninsula. Those values are not so easily found in other parts of the country, he said.

“We need events like this, and I think of people like Summer and I think of other people in our community who have suffered,” Becker said, referencing the recent incident. “I hope that an event like this today will tell that next gay kid, the next transgender kid, that you are welcome in our community.”

One of the event’s sponsors was allcove Palo Alto, which helps provide youth mental health services to those in need. Several other local organizations tabled on the plaza and adjacent Hamilton Avenue, which was closed to traffic for the event, such as housing nonprofit Palo Alto Forward, Stanford Medicine, Coupa Cafe and the Palo Alto Weekly.

Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims, who helped lead the effort on the dais to organize the Pride Month event this year, spoke about their experience coming to terms with their gender and sexual identity.

They recalled their run for council in 2022, when a prominent figure in Palo Alto asked them why they included that they were Black, biracial, queer and bisexual in their campaign material.

Lythcott-Haims, who announced during the Pride Month event that they exclusively use they pronouns going forward, said it was important to be open and proud of their identity when they ran for council so voters who share those identities could see themselves in leadership positions.

“Pride is about being seen as we are, for our own sake and for others who need to know they are not alone,” Lythcott-Haims said. “After my long search to belong to people and places, I finally learned to stop yearning for belonging elsewhere, and first and foremost, to belong to this self.”

Amid traditional dance performances from Folclorico Colibri and rhythmic Afro-Carribean-inspired drums performed by Bateria Batuki, the sentiment of belonging was palpable.

Attendees could learn about various programs in the city that support the LGBTQ+ community, make crafts at a station hosted by the Pacific Art League and mingle with city and public safety leaders throughout the three-hour event. Event coordinators passed out mini inclusivity pride flags, buttons and tote bags to commemorate the city’s first official Pride event, while a handful of women milled through the crowd bearing signs that read “Free Mom Hugs” — the nonprofit of the same name helps to reconcile familial relationships and support the LGBTQ+ community.

More than a few attendees took up the free hug offer.

People tabling with the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church handed out rainbow popsicles to anyone walking by, while the Raging Grannies Action League offered up extra sunscreen to those who were committed to celebrating in the sun all afternoon.

The Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus and musicians from the School of Rock Palo Alto performed as well, with hits such as “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.

And drag performer No One bookended the event with a cheeky slogan: “No One loves you and No One cares.”

Now, organizers are looking to the future of pride in Palo Alto. Blanchet and Efremova, two of the youth organizers, said they hope to host an actual parade next year and make the event an annual one for the city. Several city council members said they were excited to expand upon the event’s success for years to come.

“We’re definitely trying to get young people more involved with planning this because it’s very valuable to not just have an event for young people, but by young people,” Efremova said.

Correction: The story was revised to correct the name of the congregation that handed out rainbow popsicles.