June marks an exciting month for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies across the globe, and this is no different in the beautiful state of Montana. The big sky state, best known for its picturesque landscapes and diverse wildlife, is also home to a rich and vibrant LGBTQ+ community that comes alive during Pride month. This year, celebrations in Missoula, Butte, Kalispell, Billings, and other Montana cities are guaranteed to offer something for everyone.
History of Pride Month
Pride Month is observed every year in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots in 1969, a series of demonstrations by the LGBTQ+ community against a police raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. This event marked a significant turning point in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, and is often regarded as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
This month is a time of reflection, education, and of course, celebration! It serves as a reminder of the struggles that the LGBTQ+ community has endured and the progress that has been made towards equality and acceptance. In this spirit, everyone is welcome to participate in Pride events – they are a space for solidarity, unity, and support.
Pride in Montana: A Diverse Celebration
Missoula
Kick off your Montana Pride experience in Missoula, home to some of the state’s most vibrant Pride events. With its high-energy parade and festival in downtown, the Western Montana LGBTQ+ Center ensures a celebration that rivals those of much larger cities. Highlights include the annual Rainbow Rundown, a 5K charity fun run that supports local LGBTQ+ charities, and a bustling Pride Festival featuring live music, artists, and food vendors.
Click here for your rundown of Missoula events:
https://www.missoula-pride.com/events
Butte
Next stop, historic Butte! Famous for its architecture and rich history, Butte is also host to a dynamic Pride celebration. The local LGBTQ+ community center offers activities ranging from family-friendly picnics and educational panels to lively dances and parties. Don’t miss the symbolic raising of the Pride flag at the Butte Courthouse, a tradition marking the start of Pride week.
Butte events:
https://montanapride.org/events
Kalispell
Moving north to Kalispell, you’ll experience a small-town Pride with a big heart. With an emphasis on community, events in Kalispell feature local food vendors, arts and crafts, and a host of games. It’s an idyllic way to spend a June afternoons!
Here’s a good link:
https://www.facebook.com/flatheadpride/
Kalispell events:
https://www.flatheaddemocrats.com/events/flathead-pride-festival-2022
Billings
Lastly, don’t miss out on the Pride festivities in Montana’s largest city, Billings. The Magic City is well known for its Pride Parade, a colorful spectacle that showcases the local community’s creativity and passion. Other standout events include Drag Bingo, a film festival showcasing LGBTQ+ stories, and various workshops and forums aimed at promoting inclusivity and understanding.
Billings events:
https://www.406pride.org/event-calendar
A Universal Celebration
Pride month is indeed a universal celebration. While it predominantly centers on LGBTQ+ individuals, allies play a crucial role in the festivities as well. They are a testament to the progress we’ve made as a society in embracing diversity and rejecting discrimination.
Montana’s Pride celebrations encapsulate the spirit of unity, acceptance, and progress. It’s about acknowledging the struggles of the past and present, celebrating the wins, and looking forward to a future where everyone is recognized for who they truly are, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Pride parades, festivals, and other events are therefore not just for the LGBTQ+ community, they’re for everyone who believes in equality, acceptance, and love. This is the beauty of Pride Month – it transcends boundaries, fostering unity in diversity.
Everyone Participates
While I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have the privilege of counting many friends who are. They are vibrant, inspiring, and every bit as human as anyone else. They laugh, they cry, they love, and they face trials and tribulations, just like anyone else. I’ve seen firsthand their courage, their determination to be true to themselves in a world that often resists this very truth. And yet, there are those who claim that the gates of heaven are barred to them. This assertion, to me, is unthinkable.
The God I know, the God I’ve come to understand, embodies unconditional love and acceptance for all the creatures he/she/they creates. This God does not discriminate or cast judgment based on who a person loves or how they identify. If God is the creator of all, then each of us is molded by divine hands – all equally deserving of love, acceptance, and a place in heaven, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender identity.
I am an ally. I believe in the inherent dignity and equality of all individuals. The idea of standing by while my friends, my loved ones, face prejudice or discrimination is not something I can stomach. To be silent is to be complicit, and I choose not to be silent.
Every June, I celebrate Pride Month alongside my friends. I march with them, stand with them, cheer with them. This is more than just a colorful parade or a festival for me – it is a manifestation of my commitment to them. It is a moment to honor their resilience, their courage, and their journey. It is also a moment to remember those who fought and continue to fight for equality and acceptance.
It is important to me because love is love. It is as simple, and as complex, as that. Love does not discriminate. Love does not judge. Love is a universal language that knows no bounds, no barriers. It is our most profound connection to each other.
As an ally, I strive to help create a world where this is not just understood, but accepted – where love in all its forms is celebrated. Where people are allowed to love freely, without fear of judgement or discrimination. Where every individual is accepted for who they truly are. Because that, in essence, is what I believe heaven to be: a place of unconditional love and acceptance. And if that’s the case, then heaven belongs to all of us.
I am an ally, and I believe that Pride Month is not just a celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, but a celebration for all who believe in the power of love, the dignity of every individual, and the beauty of diversity. It is a celebration of acceptance, of understanding, and most importantly, of love. It is a cause that resonates with me, and a fight that I am proud to be part of.
Kerry Heffelfinger co-founded Sunflower Counseling MT with his wife, Marie, and their three spirited children. In the scarce moments of respite from running the business, Kerry indulges in his passion for the electric guitar, which he keeps, rather unconventionally, in the bathroom. Aside from his musical pursuits, Kerry finds solace in the seemingly mundane: wandering the aisles of Target and browsing the colorful array of La Croix cans. These simple pleasures, however ordinary, offer him moments of tranquility amidst the chaos of family and work life.