‘Say Gay’: Palm Springs Pride Parade 2022 draws huge crowds – Desert Sun
Crowds came from down the street and across the country to Palm Springs’ 36th annual Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade Sunday.
Participants decked out in rainbows and other festive garb turned out to represent a wide range of groups, from the Palm Springs High School band to a “Pornstar Float” made up of adult performers.
The festival’s theme this year, “Say Gay,” is a play on a controversial Florida bill signed into law in March which restricts classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its opponents.
While some festivalgoers said the theme sent an important political message, others said they weren’t even aware of it and just came to enjoy a fun day in a supportive environment.
“Parades in general in places like Palm Springs — we’re pretty out there,” said Harry Helbing, a Palm Springs resident attending his second Pride parade in the city. “So ‘saying gay’ is like, ‘Yeah, what?’ Maybe if this was in a (red) state it would be a different story.”
Helbing, who relocated to Palm Springs from San Francisco during the pandemic and said he had participated in “many” of the larger city’s Pride festivals, said Palm Springs’ pride “had kind of a homemade quality that’s kind of fun.”
For Kate Dunn of Austin, Texas, this year’s Pride was a family affair. She traveled to Palm Springs with her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s parents to attend her first-ever Pride festival.
“We thought, ‘Why not do it in the place that knows how to do it?’” Dunn said. “(It has a) small-town feel but we’re still celebrating Pride with everyone around us.”
Dunn said that, as someone living in a conservative state, she felt that the year’s theme resonated and reflected something that “definitely” needs to be talked about.
“Kids are going to go through these experiences regardless and if we can help them along the way — I know that it helps me to have these conversations with people, particularly people younger than me,” she said. “I think it would just be a lot easier if we would pull the cloak off of things and just talk about things openly instead of having this puritanical approach to education and discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity”
Noelani Delara, a 22-year-old Coachella resident, said they had been coming to Palm Springs Pride for years but was not aware of the “Say Gay” theme and didn’t have any particular opinion on it. Nevertheless, Delara beamed as they talked about how much they enjoyed the event.
“I just feel so much joy, so much happiness just being here,” Delara said. “I’m like, forget Disneyland, this is the happiest place on earth.”
Jim McMichael, viewing the parade with a group of friends hailing from as far away as Hawaii, also didn’t have a strong view on the event’s political message, but said being able to be proud and receive support from allied partners in a year that’s been “so divisive” was important. The Nevada resident said it was his first time observing the parade, but that he had formerly participated in it as a representative of Las Vegas Pride.
Jeff Max, who traveled from West Hollywood to attend the weekend’s festivities, initially said the “Say Gay” theme seemed a little silly given how supportive the local environment was for people who identified as gay. When reminded by a friend that the theme referenced events in Florida, however, his position changed dramatically.
“I take it back,” Max said. “You do have to ‘say gay.’ They should be in books, they should be taught.”
Roger Anderson, Max’s friend and a Palm Springs resident, said the situation reflected the widening gulf between political realities in different areas of America.
“It just accents the discrepancy in politics that’s in our world today,” Anderson said.
James B. Cutchin covers business in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at james.cutchin@desertsun.com.