ST. GEORGE — From a paint party to pancakes, this year’s edition of St. George’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender celebration will have something for every member of the community. Themed “Discover Pride,” the three-day observance is intended as an inclusive, family-friendly event in which all residents – straight or not – can feel comfortable participating.
Discover Pride kicks off at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 with a “Paint with Pride” Paint Nite gathering at Ricardo’s Restaurant.
On Sept. 15, a neon rainbow dance party for all ages will be held at the Washington City Community Center, 350 N. Community Center Drive, Washington City. Beginning at 8 p.m., local favorite DJ Lex will spin the tunes, with proceeds to benefit the Dixie State University LGBT Student Association.
Earlier the same day, a burlesque and drag show featuring community members camping it up for laughs and love is slated for 7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1731 S. Convention Center Drive, St. George. Proceeds from this event (open to those 21 and over) will benefit the Youth Advocates of Southern Utah, an outreach program and drop-in center for homeless and struggling youths in the community. Tickets can be purchased here.
Discover Pride chairman Stephen Lambert has scheduled a complement of activities stretching from morning to night Sept. 16. The celebration gets underway at 9 a.m. at the Roene B. DiFiore Center, 307 N. Main St., St. George, with an interfaith pride service with the Southern Utah Community of Christ congregation. A free pancake breakfast will follow.
A full day of food and fun is on tap at Town Square Park, 50 S. Main St., St. George, where music and entertainment will be presented from 3 to 10 p.m. Throughout the day, attendees will have the chance to sample tasty treats from a quartet of food trucks, try their hand at Zumba and belly dancing, and take in the talents of Pridetastic, a musical ensemble comprised of local residents.
“It’s an inspirational show of love,” Lambert said.
The musical lineup includes:
- 3:30 p.m. | Jessican Manalo
- 5 p.m. | Pridetastic
- 5 p.m. | Pure Joy People
- 7 p.m. | The Barrick-Aid
- 8 p.m. | Kangaroo Court
- 9 p.m. | Lisa Mac
Lambert added that while enjoying the entertainment, Discover Pride attendees can visit booths hosted by various LGBT advocacy groups and event sponsors, including Equality Utah and the Mama Dragons.
“I believe there’s a real need for LGBT individuals to know that there is love and support for them in this community,” Lambert said.
“My team has done their best to ensure that everyone in St. George can feel comfortable and safe in being a part of this celebration,” he said. “The LGBT community is no different than the mainstream community; it’s just a little more colorful.”
Discover Pride Gold Sponsors include Café Soleil, A.R.T.S., Incorporated, Even Stevens Sandwiches, The Roene B. DiFiore Center and SUU Allies on Campus. Silver Sponsors include DJ Lex and Equality Utah.
Admission to Discover Pride at Town Square Park is free. Some activities, including Paint with Pride, the burlesque show and the neon rainbow dance party charge admission.
For tickets and more information, visit the Southern Utah Pride website.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Is this a joke????
St. George will just be like California soon….just great……
Jokes on you hater. Cali moved here long ago. Where do you think all the $$$ came from ??? Millionaire Mormon Polygamous Hillbilly Rednecks hiding out in the desert.
LOL!
Very sad to see this in our community.
As a mother of a daughter who came out last year, I am happy to see St. George have this kind of event take place in the community. There is nothing sad about it. The only thing sad to me is people like you and the sad attitudes toward lovely humans like my daughter.
Sad is a world that says this is okay. It is not It is immoral!
It’s pathetic that people celebrate who they want to have sex with. Keep it to yourself, family and friends. We are losing all sense of decency, manners, and modesty. You don’t need to hear and see me celebrate my sexual appetites or preferences; not of us does. Keep your sex life where it belongs; private.
Have you heard the President of the United States lately ???
Your name here speaks volumes to your intelligence.
Yeah, who would name himself that…self esteem issue going on there.
Everyone can have a relationship with whomever they wish, just don’t push it on others, or in public. That should be simple logic, if you come out of the closet, keep it private. Don’t keep it in then parade it on the street, that’s just immature and stupid.
I had the “privilege” of watching the pride parade in san francisco one year. It really is like sodom and gomorrah. Ugly naked people running around all over. Everything decorated and themed with penises. bad bad…….
Been there on business and seen that…one of the most sickening displays of human nature that I have ever seen. Pathetic is the word. Sounds like St. George has issues coming…big one’s.
“It’s more than tragic—in fact it’s shameful—that faith communities, especially Christian ones, continue to be complicit in putting our children at risk and abetting the attitudes that oppress them, thereby encouraging the aggressors who would subject our children to pain, humiliation, and violence.
LGBT men and women will continue to be vulnerable to the sins of homophobia and heterosexism, to the violence of hate and fear until we in the church can say to homosexuals now what it has said to heterosexuals for 2,000 years. Your sexuality is good. The church not only accepts it. The church celebrates it and rejoices in it. God loves you as you are, and the church can do no less.” – 2014 Episcopal Proclamation To the World – National Cathedral
Oh. It’s this thing again.
List of things to celebrate in the lgbtq-xyz “community”:
HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS. …
Hepatitis. Hepatitis. …
Chancroid. Chancroid. …
Trichomoniasis. Trichomoniasis. …
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Genital Warts. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Genital Warts. …
Herpes. Herpes. …
Gonorrhea. Gonorrhea. …
Chlamydia. Chlamydia.
This isn’t a complete list either. LOL
Same for Pioneer Day celebrations… fair is fair
did they drop the Q from lgbt? ??????????
We should run a simultaneous event promoting rectal screenings adjacent to the wonderful festivities.
LOLOL!!
You know what? That is actually a great idea. Where’s the mobile wagon when you need it?
Like Streetfest and others, it’s a good business opportunity for this town to bring locals and tourists together. Whether you agree or disagree, I’m for enjoying good food, good music, and a good old fashioned ice cold beer.
I’m so looking forward to this event. Hopefully the Pink Pistols, a national gun club for gays and lesbians will be participating this year. Pink Pistols membership totals 4,500 LGBT nationwide. The group continues to see dozens of new chapters pop up across the country each year. Hopefully this trend will catch on here in Utah. Being a gun owner and NRA, 2nd Amendment supporter, I believe there’s a real need for LGBT individuals to know that there is love and support for them in our community. Perhaps someday soon this Celebration of Freedom aka: “Discover Pride” will morph into Celebration of Gays and Guns.
Wonder what a bullseye on a Pink Pistols target looks like?
Tail gunners.
I’m guessin’ here, a Starfish??
It’s a case of the xactlies.
Here’s my suggestion to all those who oppose the wonderful, inclusive event – DON’T COME…
There’s a bad joke there.
I think you misspelled a word.
Here is my suggestion for events like these; keep your sex life private. Most of us don’t want ‘gatherings’ and parades in the public square for things that should be personal. What you support is a society lacking modesty, decency, and let it all hang out. Go do it in your home like I and most always have; otherwise it is just a porno show.
You mean Pioneer Day? Polygamy as practiced in closed faith promoting communes, has yet to been shown to further gender equality and equal protection for women and children.
I’ll pass. Doesn’t meet my standards.
Perhaps ignorance and bigotry historically raises its ugly head again…”…in a broad general sense, caste systems have their origin in the gospel itself, and when they operate according to the divine decree, the resultant restrictions and segregation are right and proper and have the approval of the lord. To illustrate: Cain, Ham, and the whole negro race have been cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a caste apart, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry.” B. McConkie
Who remembers when gay use to mean happy?