As June arrives, rainbow flags flutter in the wind alongside the stars and stripes and crowds spill onto city streets to celebrate Pride month.
Bobby Wire-Roberson has seen his fair share of epic and joyful Pride celebrations, having helped organize such community events in Denver and Colorado Springs before moving to Coeur d'Alene 11 years ago. In that time, more and more small towns in America have also begun hosting Pride celebrations to increase visibility of and celebrate their LGBTQ+ residents.
Wire-Roberson had a hand in organizing Coeur d'Alene's first-ever Pride celebration in 2016 and the nearby Silver Valley's in 2022. Now, he's involved in Bonners Ferry, Idaho's first pride event, happening June 21 through 23 at the Pearl Theater.
In 2022 during Coeur d'Alene's Pride in the Park celebration, Wire-Roberson was in the middle of a performance as his drag queen persona, Victoria Sumerz St. James, when 31 men associated with the white nationalist hate group Patriot Front attempted to riot in the park.
"My whole thought on Idaho is that there needs to be Pride everywhere," he says. "LGBTQIA+ people are living everywhere. They need to know that they are loved."
Just as the Silver Valley Pride event in Wallace, Idaho, and Lincoln County Pride in Libby, Montana, provide the Inland Northwest's outlying communities with colorful celebrations, Bonners Ferry residents seek to make Pride an annual celebration as well.
As Bonners Ferry Pride's outreach director, entertainment coordinator and security coordinator, Wire-Roberson has been working the past four months to ensure the celebration goes smoothly.
"It started as a conversation piece, and it moved really quickly into a full-force committee," he says.
A Friday kickoff celebration at 6 pm features keynote speaker Cristal Blue Sapphire, a Boise-area drag queen, followed by a dance party. Saturday's schedule is packed with music, entertainment, drag performances and poetry readings that are all family-friendly from 10 am to 6 pm. Once the clock strikes 8 pm, an 18+ after party begins. After a long night of celebration, Pride-goers can chill out with an LGBTQ+ movie marathon on Sunday.
The entirety of the three-day event is happening inside the Pearl Theater. Having the Pride celebration in a "safe and enclosed space" was important, Wire-Roberson says. A private security firm will also be present, and the celebration is ticketed with all proceeds supporting Bonners Ferry's next Pride. Wire-Roberson hopes these measures deter protesters and prevent any potentially dangerous situations.
Despite recent legislation targeting LGBTQ+ Idahoans (like House Bill 71, which prevents transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming care) and a negative response from some Bonners Ferry community members, organizers seek to make the town's inaugural Pride celebration positive, inclusive and safe for all.
"This is going to be a great event," Wire-Roberson says. "We've had a lot of negativity, but you can expect that for somewhere as deep as Bonners Ferry. But the outcry of love has been more than the disruption of hate." ♦
2024 PRIDE EVENTS
Let's Talk About Pride
Thu, June 6 from 5:30-7:30 pm
The Boxcar Room, aclu-wa.org
Spokane Queer Art Walk
Fri, June 7, times vary
Various locations, spokanearts.org
Foray for the Arts: Celebrating Pride
Fri, June 7 from 6-9 pm
Grant Park, Spokane instagram.com/foray4thearts
Friday Night Fever
Fri, June 7 from 7-10 pm
Davenport Grand Hotel spokanepride.org
Latinx Pride
Fri, June 7 from 7 pm-2 am
nYne Bar & Bistro, nynebar.com
Spokane Pride Parade & Festival
Sat, June 8 from noon-7 pm
Riverfront Park, spokanepride.org
Mini Dempsey's Brass Rail Reunion Show
Sat, June 8 from 6:30-8:30 pm
Riverfront Park, spokanepride.org
Family Pride Celebration
Sun, June 9 from 1-3 pm
Central Library, spokanelibrary.org
CDA4Pride Tie-Dye Party
Sat, June 15 from 10 am-1 pm
Human Rights Education Institute nipridealliance.com
Pride Storytime
Sat, June 15 at 11 am
Auntie's Bookstore auntiesbooks.com
Globe pride cruise
Sat, June 15 from 1:30-4:30 pm
Lake Coeur d'Alene facebook.com/globespokane
Bonners Ferry Pride
June 21-23
The Pearl Theater thehistoricpearltheater.org
Queer Prom
Sat, June 22 at 8 pm
The Chameleon chameleonspokane.com
Pride Bar Crawl
Sat, June 22 from 4 pm-midnight
The Globe Nightclub facebook.com/globespokane
Shibari N Flow Pride
Thu, June 27 at 7 pm
The Chameleon chameleonspokane.com
CDA4Pride Pride on the Runway
Fri, June 28, 6-8 pm
Mik's, nipridealliance.com
Pride in Perry
Sat, June 29 from noon-5 pm
South Perry District odysseyyouth.org/pride-in-perry
Sandpoint Pride
July 13-14
Granary District, sandpointpride.com
Palouse Pride
Aug. 22-25
Moscow, inlandoasis.org
