The Utah Pride Festival has transformed from a localized 1977 Human Rights Convention into a massive annual celebration in Salt Lake City, following decades of community organizing, the establishment of dedicated community centers, and the introduction of iconic symbols like the giant pride flag.
Foundations of Utah Pride
The foundations of the modern festival trace back to June 1977, when the Salt Lake Coalition of Human Rights hosted a Human Rights Convention in Salt Lake City. During this conference, Stephan Zakharias, also known as Matthew Price, and approximately nine other men and women established a constitution for Gay Mormons United, an organization that has since become known as Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends.
Building on that momentum, the 1978 Human Rights Convention featured prominent keynote speakers, including David Kopay, the first NFL player to come out of the closet, and U.S. Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, an ex-Mormon who was the first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.
While several gay and lesbian groups in Utah had been organizing privately and unofficially throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the 1977 convention is widely recognized as the formal beginning of Utah Pride.
Early Community Celebrations
Prior to the formalization of Utah Pride, the local community engaged in various celebratory gatherings. In 1974, the owner of the Sun Tavern sponsored a Beer Bust Kegger Party along the shores of the Great Salt Lake, which brought together more than 200 people to celebrate the growing openly gay community in Utah.
On June 1, 1975, the Gay Community Service Center was founded and sponsored a community-wide celebration known as Gay Freedom Day, which was held in City Creek Canyon. Throughout the 1980s, Pride celebrations, then referred to as Gay Pride Day, were held in various locations, including Fairmont Park, Pioneer Park, and Sunnyside Park.
The First Pride March
The organizational structure of the festival underwent significant changes as it grew. While Utah Pride Inc. was not created until 1989, the project was continuously developed through 2004 by the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah.
The first official Pride march took place on June 27, 1990, marking the 21st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. That inaugural march involved 270 participants and followed a route starting from the steps of the State Capitol, proceeding down Main Street, and ending at the intersection of South Temple and West Temple. That same year, the Pride festival was hosted at the Northwest Community Center.
Institutional Growth and Expansion
The growth of the movement led to the creation of the Utah Stonewall Center in 1991 as a project of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah. Although the center closed in 1997, it reopened in 1998 under the name Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah, eventually changing its name again in 2005 to the Utah Pride Center.
As the Utah Stonewall Center began organizing Utah Pride Inc., festivities moved to the Salt Lake County Fairgrounds in Murray. This shift resulted in the march attracting twice as many participants as previous years. During this era, new events were added to the programming to promote the visibility of local queer artists, including the Pride Day Art Expo and Competition, the Lesbian and Gay Pride Art Award, and the Mapplethorpe Award.
Artistic and Symbolic Landmarks
Artistic integration became a staple of the festival in 2004 with the creation of The Damn These Heels Film Festival, established in partnership with the Salt Lake City Film Center. This festival, which aimed to showcase the best in queer cinema, has been held annually since its inception.
Another major symbolic development occurred in 1997 with the introduction of the giant pride flag. Created by Rev. Bruce Barton of the Metropolitan Community Church of Salt Lake City and others, the flag was completed just before the parade on June 8, 1997. The flag became a sensation, with bearers marching from the Utah State Capitol to the City and County Building down State Street. While the original flag was used repeatedly, a new one was purchased in 2012 to replace it.
Modern Evolution and Resilience
The festival has also navigated significant modern challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the festival was postponed and instead took the form of the Utah Pride Road Rally held in October.
In 2021, the Utah Pride Center organized a Pride Week to ensure safety in the pandemic's aftermath. This included exhibits, the Pride Story Gardens, an online inter-faith event, and a march from the Capitol to Liberty Park that featured a rainbow balloon arch containing over 1,000 balloons.
By 2022, the festival had expanded to include a 200-foot rainbow flag, the longest route in the event's history, a festival at Washington Square featuring four stages and five lounges, a Glow March, and a 5K run, with various venues across the state participating in month-long programming.
A Continuing Legacy
The Utah Pride Festival continues to evolve to provide the Utah community with diverse experiences. The organization maintains that the work performed by previous generations of activists provides the inspiration and strength for the modern celebration of freedom and queerness held each June in Salt Lake City.
