Benton County officials celebrated Pride Month June 4 with a special breakfast and proclamation and coming up June 15 will be Philomath’s third annual Pride event.
The Benton County Board of Commissioners event at its meeting earlier this week saw several groups represented that support the local 2LGBTQI+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex) community, including the Philomath Pride Collective. Others were Intersection Parent Connection, Mid-Willamette Transgender Support Network, Oregon State University Pride Center, Out ‘N About, Rainbow in the Clouds and Pride Corvallis.
“Benton County is committed to equitably serving all members of the community and welcomes ideas which value the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in every aspect of county governance, services and operations to county residents and visitors,” Commissioner Nancy Wyse said through a press release. “We value and recognize diversity in our workforce and we continue to work on creating a space of respect, fairness, equity, collaboration and belonging that reflects our rich, diverse and multicultural community.”
Prior to the meeting, county employees representing the 2SLGBTQI+ community and their allies were treated to a breakfast gathering.
Dharma Mirza, president of the board of directors for Mid-Willamette Trans Support Network, read the county’s Pride Month proclamation.
Philomath Pride Collective’s Rose Bricker attended the county’s Pride Month proclamation signing to promote the public’s attendance June 15 at Philomath Pride, a family-friendly event to honor and celebrate the LGBTQIA2S+ community which aims to foster an inclusive space for all.
The Philomath Pride event will run from noon-4 p.m., at Philomath City Park. Benton County is sponsoring this year’s event.
Pride Month was established in the U.S. in 1970 in response to years of organizing efforts following the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in 1966 in San Francisco, the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 in New York City, and other efforts across the nation to resist the oppressive laws and social restrictions that threatened the safety and well-being of their communities.