PROVO, Utah -- One of the most conservative cities in the nation is about to host its first-ever gay pride festival; that city is Provo, and the event is this Saturday.
Rebecca Taylor said growing up LGBT in Provo wasn't easy, but she said she thinks it could have been had she known she wasn't alone.
“We need to let people know that we’re here, that we are human,” she said. “That we have a voice and that we want that voice to be heard, and more than anything we want other people feeling alone and isolated to not feel that way.
The new non-profit organization Provo Pride agrees, which is why the group has been working day and night since its establishment back in May to bring the first ever pride festival to Provo.
“We had to teach ourselves how to put on an event of this size and how to convince a city like Provo to allow us to do that,” said David Pate, who is the president of the Provo Pride Counsel.
The family friendly festival will have food vendors, live music, and games. The event will happen this Saturday, in a city and county that is consistently recognized as one of the most conservative in the country.
FOX 13 News asked local conservative group Utah Eagle Forum how they felt about the festival, and officials with that organization called it a poor choice, especially during a week when the Constitution should be the focus of celebrations.
“As heterosexuals we don’t celebrate the way we practice sex, and so it just seems like they could be better using their time by celebrating something we can all celebrate instead of a special segment of society,” said Barbra Petty with the Utah Eagle Forum.
Taylor had a different perspective on the event.
“If we had the equal rights that heterosexual couples have, that normal society has, then we wouldn’t need this type of event, but where it’s out of the norm, we need to let people know that we’re here,” Taylor said.
