Phoenix Pride's Detractors

PRIDE FESTIVALS: This past weekend was the Phoenix Pride Festival, where we engaged with hundreds of people to learn their interests and what they wanted from local news.

That's how we get most of our story ideas, actually; we rely heavily on people coming to us to explain what's going on inside and outside the community, and then we try and dig in. In essence, we view our role as a news organization similar to an ombudsman.

So when a handful of people reached out a few months ago about concerns surrounding Phoenix Pride's ticket price, their entertainment choices, and the continued use of police inside the festival both as peacekeepers and at a booth, we decided to dig in a bit more.

Over the course of three months, we spoke to 24 people who worked with Pride, have been volunteers, or are regular festival-goers who stopped attending in recent years. We asked them all a very basic question: what do you want from your local Pride organization?

The answers varied, from finding a festival location that wasn't gated and hidden away from the general population, to more advertising of local talent.

But across all 24 people, there were three consistent concerns: all of them said Pride festivals should be free to attend and that the organization needs to engage more with the community, while a large majority believed police presence at the festival should be reduced even more.

It's a nuanced piece of reporting. Pride said there are some bureaucratic problems they simply would never be able to do. And while everyone agreed Phoenix Pride is important, they all said there is room for improvement.

Read our full story here:

Phoenix Pride’s detractors say the organization isn’t listening

LOOKOUT interviewed two-dozen people, from local business owners to volunteers, who said that while Phoenix Pride is welcome, they need to do more than throw a party.

LOOKOUTJoseph Darius Jaafari (he/him)

LOOKOUT'S TAKE: These kinds of complaints against Pride aren't new, and Phoenix Pride is just one of dozens of Pride organizations nationwide that have had to deal with reckonings from their community.

Even the parade's Grand Marshal Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, who recently retired as the owner of Barrio Cafe, posted on Instagram critiquing Phoenix Pride for their parade choices (she reposted a video of someone criticizing Amazon's float leading the march). She captioned the post: "Pride has changed."

In other cities, there has been a growing call for grassroots Pride parades as an alternative, also referred to as "anti-Pride" marches.

They involve Trans Marches, Drag Marches, Black Pride Marches, and Disability Pride Marches. They all evolved from the same complaint: the local Pride organization wasn't doing enough.

Phoenix, it seems, is far from that kind of internal uprising. Even though there have been protests at Phoenix Pride by queer people in the past, there appears to be time for Phoenix Pride to engage with Phoenix's LGBTQ+ community before an all-out rebellion.

The question on most people's minds, though, is if the community is willing to engage with Phoenix Pride. And if they do, will they be heard?

🌵 LOCAL NEWS

• JAILHOUSE LAWYER: A federal prisoner held in Tucson won her case against the government after being housed in a men's prison. The Marshall Project
• PROJECT 2025: The conservative policy playbook could have an outsized effect on the LGBTQ+ community, and LOOKOUT is partnering with Local Media Association in their event today dissecting the policy. NewsIsOut

🇺🇸 NATIONAL NEWS

• WHIPLASH: After a conservative group of people posted LGBTQ+ friendly stores in rural Ohio to boycott, the shop owners rejoiced. Buckeye Flame
• RELIGIOUS INTERVENTION: A pastor who has promoted LGBTQ+ equality is running for office in an attempt to counter far-right evangelicalism. Premier Christian News
• WHY THE DEBATE?: A Q&A with ESPN journalist Katie Barnes dives into why trans kids in sports became the flashpoint in today's culture wars. LGBTQ Nation
• FUNDING CUTS: LGBTQ+ people experience domestic violence higher than their straight peers. So when funding gets cut from services, there is a direct impact on our community. Mother Jones

Last week's question: Who is the candidate running for Maricopa County School Superintendent whose website says they want to get rid of gender studies?

Last week's answer: Shelli Boggs