EVERETT — Amid a drizzle of rain, people lined Wetmore Avenue on Saturday for Everett Pride’s third-annual block party.
In addition to more than 100 vendors and food trucks, the party had a stage set up for music and drag performances.
Early in the day, drag performer Kenbie Enby read “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart, a children’s book about a child navigating their gender identity.
“I love seeing all the young kids in the audience,” they said, “and also the parents because I can tell like this is the type of event they wish that they had when they were younger.”
For some who grew up in Everett, having a dedicated pride event shows how far the city has come in accepting the LGBTQ+ community.
“I feel very safe here compared to when I was growing up,” said Violet Dahlstrom, who grew up in the Everett area. “Also, so many of the local businesses around here are already very queer, so it feels very welcoming.”
“It’s really beautiful seeing the outer Seattle area embrace queer culture,” said Ellie Henry, who also grew up in the Everett area.
On Wednesday, the city started displaying an exhibit in its municipal building that celebrates the passage of marriage equality legislation in Washington state. The exhibit, “Love, Equally,” will be up until September, city spokesperson Simone Tarver wrote in a press release Wednesday.
“The City of Everett is honored to host Love, Equally – a moving tribute to resilience and love,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said in the release. “This exhibit tells the story of people who refused to be silent, who stood up and spoke out, and who helped bend the arc of our history a little closer to justice.”
Everett Pride also received a proclamation from Franklin recognizing Pride Month at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
Jannah Minnix, a queer artist from Marysville, was one of many vendors selling their art Saturday. She said pride is an important place for her to showcase her work, in which she often incorporates her queer identity.
“Pride was one of the first places that I really felt like I fit in and that my work fit in,” she said.
It was Minnix’s second Everett Pride as a vendor.
“I lived in Everett for a few years, so I’m familiar with the area, and that also helps build up a little bit of the comfort to it,” she said. “This is kind of a scary space, at least to start out with, but it’s a place that I’ve been to before instead of just going to something entirely new.”
The block party was part of a full weekend for Everett Pride. On Friday, the group hosted its Night Market Solstice, a 21+ event with live performances, vendors and food trucks. On Sunday, Everett Pride will host Diva Drag Brunch, a paid drag show at 1611 Steakhouse.
Shaina Langley, a candidate for Everett School Board, was at the event with the 38th Legislative District Democrats. It’s an important time to celebrate pride, she said, speaking from her experience as a queer elementary school teacher.
“It’s important for young students to see themselves in a safe space where they’re supported and represented and loved,” she said. “It just means the world for them, and in this climate we need as much love as we can get.”
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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