NEVADA CITY, Calif. — It's Pride Month and in Nevada City, people are showing their support by holding free community events and even decorating all of downtown!
A year after a pride event was canceled due to safety concerns, Nevada City is going strong this year and making sure the community is heard and understood.
About 30 volunteers help line the streets with colorful Pride flags and the city has a whole calendar of events for the community to celebrate its 3rd annual Pride Month. Some events include a Pride flag-raising ceremony at City Hall, book readings, drag brunches and even a day party called "Pride on the Patio".
"Nevada City Pride has really become a home for so many people in our community," said Kimberly Pepe, events coordinator for Nevada City Pride. "People are looking for ways to connect, ways to socialize and to be vocal and active in the community, and I am just grateful that we live in a county that says, 'Yes, let's have events, let's have celebrations and let's have education.'"
Nevada City Pride Month organizers partner with local and national organizations to provide information about the LGBTQIA+ community.
"We have evolved," said Rick Partridge, chair of the Board of Nevada City Pride. "Looking at our Board of Directors, there's 10 of us. We are men and women, we are trans folks, we are people of color, we are very diverse and we are trying to represent across sections of the community. 13 days into the month and we have had no vandalism of the flags, so obviously, we're making progress which we're so happy about. Visibility does count."
About 200 community members attended the flag-raising ceremony, and the city is looking forward to its first-ever Pride Festival happening on August 6.
For more information about the events and ways to support, you can go to their website at www.NevadaCountyPride.org