June heat bumps some Pride events to the fall

Plenty of Pride flags go up around the Valley in June, but due largely to the heat of summer, those flags sometimes go up in cooler months of the year as well.

Mike Fornelli, executive director of Phoenix Pride since 2018, said the recent change holding large outdoor events in slightly cooler temperatures in months such as October is both a safety measure and a reaction to event-goer willingness.

“It’s a little of both,” Fornelli said. “You can’t cover crowds that can run as big as 55,000 people with shade and misters when it’s 110 or hotter outside.”

Events had been held in the early spring for many years, but even that time of year can be hard to predict, regarding the weather.

The forecast for the weekend of June 14-15, when some Pride events are planned here in the Valley, is for highs well above 105 degrees and overnight lows in the low 80s, with no rain likely until early July.

Fornelli said the outdoor Pride Festival, dance events and the Phoenix Pride Parade are the main events that must be held in October. The parade is probably Pride group’s most collaborative and high-visibility community event each year. This year’s Phoenix parade is set for Sunday, Oct. 20.

“The festival is a big production, and the parade is where we get the most community participation, including from the major pro and college sports teams,” Fornelli said.

An advantage to holding main events later in the year is there isn’t the same kinds of interstate conflicts that might exist in June or another summer month with Pride events in other states, he said. National performers can be in Phoenix and not miss out on another coveted Pride event.

“We’re one of the last in the nation on the each year’s calendar,” Fornelli said, talking about Phoenix Pride’s October events.

Even with so much going on in October, Fornelli said, there’s still a full schedule of Pride-related events on the June calendar in the Valley. From a nighttime outdoor dance party held in downtown Tempe on June 1 to a June 29 health fair called Health & Heels, June is a busy month for Phoenix Pride.

“We still have 24 things happening in June, so that’s good,” Fornelli said. “We just have to look at everything to make sure it’ll work: time of day, indoors, air conditioning, etc.”

Fornelli said many June events are recurring. This makes it easy for organizers to make a few contacts to ensure times and dates are on track at often familiar venues.

It also helps that many events are held at bars or nightclubs that are LGTBQ-friendly and want to be part of Pride, Fornelli said.

One compromise is three events that are held at swimming pools. Fornelli said there are two on June 15 and one on June 23 that allow people to cool off.

Other smaller organizations have Pride celebrations in cooler months than June. Chandler Pride held such an event in November of last year and has another one planned for November of 2024.

The rest of the year, Pride organizations can be seen manning booths at cultural festivals and other events or participating in charity groups, such as park or trail cleanups.

Fornelli said smaller Pride organizations provide needed energy that give LGTBQ people a positive image year-round.

Fornelli said Pride night promotions involving Arizona sports teams help promote awareness as well. This is true even if promotions are out-of-season. The Phoenix Rising’s Pride Night match is June 22 and the Phoenix Suns’ Pride event has been at October games, though other seasons don’t touch either month.

If anyone wants to support Pride groups, donations are usually welcome. Also, it helps to find out which local businesses support Pride events and to tell staff that support is appreciated, Fornelli said.

“That’s especially true for businesses that allow us to hold events at their facilities,” Fornelli said. “We should support those businesses.”

Eduarda Schroder, the president of Chandler Pride, said when the organization first partnered with Chandler years ago, about an event, albeit a small one, it happened to be one in November.

“There was momentum then and we went with it,” Schroder said. “Pride in Chandler continued to be celebrated in November. And there’s the heat. We like it in November.”

Last November, Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke presented a proclamation declaring November to be Pride Month for the city.

“The proclamation was a request I and Chandler Pride asked for to coincide with Pride in Chandler,” Schroder said.

There have been some small brief outdoor Pride events held in June. On June 7, Chandler raised a Pride flag for the first time, with Vice Mayor O.D. Harris, Council members Angel Encinas and Christine Ellis and Chandler Chamber of Commerce representatives in attendance.

“It was a fantastic event which will most likely be repeated,” Schroder said.

A full list of June and October Pride events in the Valley can be found at phoenixpride.org .

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic.  Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org . Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org .