SALT LAKE CITY — Sol Gonzalez is hosting her own Pride event this weekend called "Loud and Queer" at the Lost Acorn Gallery in the Avenues neighborhood, featuring artists like her who felt priced out of the Utah Pride Festival.
“‘Loud and Queer’ is basically an event in direct opposition to a big corporate crowded Pride event, especially because on the vendor side, this year it cost $1,500 to get a table at Pride," she said. "So most of the artists that I know and work with closely, we couldn't afford to be at the big Pride event.”
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The Utah Pride Center is battling inflation while still providing free life-saving services for people of all ages, according to co-CEO Jonathan Foulk.
“With inflation, we have, in order to provide a safe event for all, an elevated event for all, we had to find ways to not just cover our costs but raise money," he said. "This is the Utah Pride Center's largest fundraiser, and this money that is raised during the three-day festival helps to provide our life-affirming programs and services at the Utah Pride Center that are free."
Foulk acknowledged that the majority of booths at Pride are corporations.
“About 60 percent of our vendors are our corporate partners," he said. "The rest are businesses.”
While some in the queer community will be attending smaller events, everyone is celebrating the same thing.
“Now more than ever we have to show up, and I think with our theme this year of being 'Unapologetic,' we have to be out here we have to be louder and we have to be prouder," said Foulk.
