From a Riot to a March to a Celebration

Our Mission

Spokane Pride, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt volunteer organization, promotes and empowers visible diversity for Spokane’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and citizens with identities beyond the binaries (LGBTQIA2S+). Through supportive education and the annual collaborative production of the area’s family-friendly Pride Parade and Festival, we provide progressive cultural opportunities and experiences for the greater Inland Northwest community.

A New Name

Formerly known as OutSpokane, we have changed our organization name to Spokane Pride. We appreciate and recognize the work that has been done to get us to this point. By renaming our organization, Spokane Pride, we clarify our connection to Pride efforts in the city of Spokane and region.

The name change has given us the opportunity to explore new ways of leading the organization while maintaining a commitment to the production of the annual Pride Parade and Festival; as well as increasing the scope of our programming.

As an organization, Spokane Pride is committed to creating Pride experiences that are welcoming, engaging, and accessible to ALL.

Below are community agreements to guide our organization's relationships with volunteers, partnerships, and ourselves.

 

Harassment-Free Environment

We believe that every person involved with Spokane Pride deserves the right to a harassment-free environment. A harassment-free environment has no place for fear, abuse, intimidation, or violence to be used as means to control or illicit power. A harassment-free environment also calls for all stakeholders in Spokane Pride to approach the work and engaged participants with respect for their selves and their bodies.

Every participant or entity involved in Spokane Pride deserves the ability to interact free of sexual assault, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct.

Active participants under the age of 18 deserve the right to a Pride experience that is free of predatory behavior.

 

Environments that affirms
the identities of all people

We believe in the collective power of every LGBTQIA2S+ identity. We believe Trans lives matter. We believe Black Trans lives matter. We believe the experiences of people from the range of sexual and gender identities deserve the space to express themselves at Pride, be represented in Pride, and affirmed in their experience through Pride.

 

Anti-racist

We stand with our BIPOC siblings against racism in all forms. As a Pride organization, we are committed to celebrating all people, their identities and honoring their struggles. There is no room for hate in PRIDE!

 

Accessible to all

We believe Pride is a place and space where all bodies of all abilities deserve the right to be present and honored. We commit to developing Pride experiences that are:

  1. Welcoming to all people of all abilities

  2. Crafted in tandem with those who live with a range of abilities in hopes of a truly inclusive Pride.

 

A Healthy Community

We envision a healthy, thriving LGBTQIA2S+ community with the space to heal and belong. We believe Pride, and every program through Pride, is a pathway toward the well-being of our community. Therefore, we are committed to identifying resources; developing a wholistic programming approach; and creating spaces that encourage safe, intentional, and healthy engagement.

 

Inclusive Networking

Spokane Pride serves people from many intersections of identity, need, and ability. The need for our community members to interact with inclusive and affirming resources, organizations, businesses, people, thoughts, ideas, and the like, is crucial to movement of Pride. We are committed to creating access to information and involvement through intentional connection and interaction.

Our Story

Since 1992, Spokane has seen the LGBTQIA2S+ community come together to honor those brave individuals that fought back against the police raids in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York. The Stonewall Riots were a turning point for the gay rights movement. The following year, in 1970 the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York all held parades commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Since then, cities around the globe have started marches and parades as well.

The first march in Spokane was on the sidewalks and was sponsored and coordinated by Spokane PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). The following year a permit was ordered and the march was in the streets, followed by a small rally in the park.

The motivation for organizing the Spokane Pride Parade and Festival remains the same to this day: we march for the visibility of LGBTQIA2S+ people and fight for the inclusion of all people.