Pocatello Pride 2014

Pocatello held its 2014 Pocatello Pride celebration Saturday.

Guest speakers discussed a variety of topics including organizations for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folks in the community, personal stories from parents whose children have taken their own lives after being bullied for being gay, and the reasons why pride events are held across the nation each year: the Stonewall Riots.

The Stonewall Riots were a series of riots that began on June 28, 1969. LGBT people and drag queens at the Stonewall Inn in New York City felt they were being mistreated by police officers and fought back.

Those riots are considered one of the key events that sparked LGBT people to speak out, demanding equal rights and treatment under the law.

“We’re trying to make our voices be heard all the time,” said Casey Wynn, aka Spike Naugahyde, a drag queen performing at the Pocatello Pride event. “Recently we’ve done it (nondiscrimination ordinance) and our voices were heard.”

Pocatello Pride also gives out awards every year. At the celebration this year, the board gave Ralph Lillig, the man who opposed the nondiscrimination ordinance, a pink brick as an award. They said they genuinely wanted to thank him for all the work he did that brought the Pocatello LGBT community closer together.