June is Pride Month, but Monterey Peninsula Pride celebrates in July and Salinas Valley Pride in October.

June is nationally proclaimed as Pride Month, observed in cities across the country as people take to the streets for a colorful celebration of inclusion. But here in Monterey County, the region’s two large Pride events happen in July and October. Why?

The short answer to this question is simple: The LGBTQ+ community is proud all year long and is happy to party all year long to prove it. The longer answer includes as many reasons as there are colors of the rainbow.

“As one of our supporters said: ‘there are not enough months to celebrate Pride,’” says Tyller Williamson of Monterey Peninsula Pride. He doesn’t remember what went wrong in 2017 when Monterey Pride gathered for the first time but remembers they were late. The group is thinking about perhaps moving the event to June in the future, but for now, Monterey Pride organizers are happy with what has become a July tradition.

“It’s more important than ever in these dark times,” Williamson says the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. “I just read that Clarence Thomas said LGBTQ rights will be next,” he adds, referring to the Supreme Court Justice’s comment on Friday, June 24.

“We have to continue to stand up. It will be the first Pride in person after two years. There will be queer vendors and small businesses. And DJ Ayumi, who has been a staple at local Pride events,” Williamson adds.

When asked why Salinas Valley Pride Celebrations has decided to celebrate in mid-October, Secretary Eric Mora says: “We should have pride events all year round. We are so close to San Francisco with a large LGBTQ community there. Instead of competing for the audience, we can go there [as many did for the Pride celebrations on the weekend of June 24], and then they can come to us. Another reason is the fact that our large student body is not here for the summer.” Hence October works best for Salinas Valley Pride, and, Mora points out, October is also LGBTQ History Month.

The first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago on June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising – a spontaneous protest by the gay community in response to a police raid in Greenwich Village, in New York City. President Barack Obama proclaimed June to be LGBT Pride Month, and President Joe Biden further expanded the observance to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Pride Month.

For Monterey County, 2022 is, in many ways, a breakthrough year. Gestures were made by the city of Marina, which raised the Pride flag for the first time on Wednesday, June 22; Hartnell College held an LGBTQ+ Film Festival; Monterey Bay F.C. recognized Pride Month during halftime at the game on Saturday, June 25; and at a June 15 city council meeting, Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez presented the city of Soledad’s first proclamation celebrating Pride Month.

Through the end of July, the Monterey Salvador Dalí Expo in Stanton Center is featuring an exhibit titled “Don’t Say Straight,” which features the works of 30 different local queer artists with over 70 pieces.

There’s also an expanding sense of inclusion – “Salinas had the rainbow flag last year,” Mora says, and “this year they had the progress flag, to embrace all sexual identities.”

“People are really excited,” Mora says of the Monterey festivities in July that he is planning to attend while his group is working on preparations for October fun in Salinas. He is confident the event will be a great success.

While preparing for a party in Monterey, the Salinas crew is finalizing their fall agenda, working hard to make sure the festivities will include “a little bit for everybody,” Mora says, promising fun for all ages.

Proud July

Monterey Peninsula Pride Celebration and Parade

11am Saturday, July 23 at Custom House Plaza, Monterey.

Out and Proud After Party

7pm-1am Saturday, July 23 at Pearl Hour, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey.

Out and Proud Panel Discussion

2pm Sunday, July 24 at Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. | More at montereypeninsulapride.org and salinasvalleypride.com.