PLENTY OF SPIRIT AT PRIDE IN THE PARK
Second annual LBGTQ+ community celebration Sunday
As speakers noted Sunday at Vacaville's second Pride in the Park event at Andrews Park, the city has made progress in a few short years regarding the recognition of LGBTQ+ rights.
In 2017, the City Council voted to table a Pride Month proclamation to direct staff to draft a policy on proclamations. Once a policy was issued to allow a council member to request a proclamation be prepared or a resident or representative of an organization request one through the city clerk's office, the city issued its first Pride Month proclamation the following year.
Since then, Pride Month proclamations have been issued by the City Council and school board every June, and the city flew the Pride Flag at the Three Flags Monument for the first time last year. This weekend, the city's second Pride Month party was held, demonstrating just how far things have come in the last few years.
Hosted by Vacaville People's Forum and Solano Pride Center, Pride in the Park provided a space for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies of all ages to be themselves, enjoy entertainment, support local businesses and organizations, wear festive gear — including lots of rainbow colors — and have some fun in the sun.
Brooke Fox, one of the event's organizers and the founder of Uptown Fox, which secured most of the vendors, said it was a grassroots event that organizers were trying to grow over time. A little more than 100 people were in attendance in the first few hours.
“We're still trying the word out about it, but we're very excited,” she said.
One way this year's event was bigger than the previous event,
Fox said, was in its vendors.
“We have more vendors and more resources than last year,” she said.
Bloomed with Love sold succulents, Pups Sparkle sold bejeweled dog collars, Mary Kay and JAM Designs sold jewelry, Damsel in Defense sold self-defense items, Solano Behavioral Health provided information on LGBTQ mental health and access to services, Hank & Hazel's sold a sausage lunch, Baby O's sold mini doughnuts and J&S Performing Arts provided an arts and crafts station.
Even two churches took part: Epiphany Episcopal Church and Live on Purpose Community Church, both in Vacaville.
Eric Smith, a member of Live on Purpose who helped operate the booth Sunday, said his church serves to provide a welcoming space for all.
“We want to love on people who maybe have been hurt by the church in the past and want to find a space where they can experience the love of God and also be able to worship God as their true authentic self,” he said.
Smith and other church members talked to attendees about Live on Purpose, provided information on upcoming church events and listened to people's stories. He shared an “eye-opening” experience of going on a mission trip to Uganda, where same-sex relationships are illegal, and attending a community center for LGBTQ youth.
“We just got to love on them and affirm them that God created them in his image and that they are beautifully made,” he said. “It's just the mission of our church to be able to do that and to share that because I think there are some spaces out there that don't have as loving and as positive affirmation.”
Rachel Wilson of Dixon, a member of Live on Purpose, attended with her girlfriend and loved “being able to be free with other people like me.”
“We have a safe space, and we're being recognized,” she said.
Jonathan Cook, executive director of Solano Pride Center, said the county as a whole has made great strides in recognizing Pride Month with all seven cities issuing proclamations, flying flags, or both.
The organization also has a Pride Picnic scheduled for Sunday at Alden Park in Vallejo, a tasting at BackRoad Vines in Fairfield where $1 from every bottle sold this month will be donated to Solano Pride, and the UpBay Pride Festival slated for Oct. 9 in Benicia.
“I think it's important for smaller cities like Vacaville to host Pride events,” he said. “These are welcoming, diverse, it shows the representative communities that we have in Vacaville, it's family friendly and, frankly, it's about time.”
Sarah White, Solano Pride's communications and development coordinator, agreed that it was important to have such events in smaller communities.
“We are looking to bring so much more opportunity to small towns like Vacaville to show diversity, to celebrate our diversity (and) inclusion,” she said.
Francisco Cuevas of Vacaville attended for the second year and was happy to have a Pride event close by.
“I've never seen something like this in a small community,” he said. “We always have to go out, like to San Francisco, Sacramento, LA to enjoy something like this when it's family-oriented and it's fun. It brings the community together.”
The event featured plenty of entertainment, including performances from DJ Pocket and the students of Live Music Center, and DJ Rene Ortiz spinning hits from Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Whitney Houston and more all day.
It also brought drag performances from Ling Ling and Miss Alexia, two regular performers at the HideA-Way Lounge & Grill. Ling Ling lip-synced to Yvonne Elliman's “If I Can't Have You” as she strutted on stage wearing a bright yellow gown that she later shed to reveal a sparkling sequin dress. She also ran into the crowd to get highfives.
Miss Alexia lip-synced to “Let There Be Love” by Christina Aguilera and danced in the lawn area, even wiggling around the ground at one point.
Vice Mayor Jason Roberts, who said he has family members in the LGBTQ+ community, was invited to deliver a proclamation, but a hard copy was not available at the time. He said it would be delivered at a council meeting later in the month, but in the meantime, he said something else.
“I do think that flag is a little bit small,” he said, referring to the flag displayed at the Three Flags Monument, which was considerably smaller than the American, state and city flags surrounding it.
Roberts decided to purchase a 5-by-8 version of the flag, which he is considering donating to the city.
“We can fully match the other flags that are flying right now,” he said.
Thomas Bilbo, chair of the Board of Directors at Solano Pride, said he was inspired to do his current work when Proposition 8 was passed by California voters in 2008. The controversial ballot measure sought to ban gay marriage, but it was later deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the U.S. Supreme Court.
“That was the day that I decided to get involved in my community … and make a difference,” he said.
Bilbo challenged attendees to do the same and invoked the motto of “Think globally, act locally.”
“You can't move the world,” he said. “You can't move a whole county, but you can move your block. You can move your street, you can move your neighbors, you can move your family members, so that's what you have to do.”