Pride Month is here and across the country LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating. At the same time, The Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the U.S., has issued a state of emergency because of anti-LGBTQ legislation passing in states across America. We talk to three LGBTQ organizers from around the state about why celebrating pride is important and what it means to celebrate these events in some of Oregon’s rural parts of the state. Nik Portela is the program manager for the Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance. Laura Erceg is the director of Southern Oregon Coast Pride. Juliet Rutter is the board secretary with Umpqua Valley Rainbow Collective.
