A new organization representing the LGBTQ community in Salina is set to host its first Pride celebration this Saturday.
The Smoky Hill Equality Coalition is hosting Salina Pride from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1 at Oakdale Park with guest speakers, games for all ages, a drag show and more.
Josh Gilmore, founder, director and president of Smoky Hill Equality, said the organization got its start in August 2023 and is using this first Pride event to not only celebrate but also to educate and engage the community.
"Our objective is to introduce Smoky Hill to the LGBT community of Salina and celebrate Pride and the individuality of the LGBT culture," Gilmore said.
Education and information part of Salina Pride
Part of the education on that day will be a foldout wall with history and information about LGBTQ figures and icons, with QR codes that can provide even more information.
Gilmore said this information is important to those outside of the LGBTQ community and particularly to those within it.
"As we grow and come out of high school, we're not taught our own history in the LGBT culture," Gilmore said. "It's very vital for these young individuals to understand that they can grow and become anything they'd like to be."
He said by seeing other people like them, LGBTQ youth and community members can aspire to achieve some of the same goals, like winning a Nobel Prize, becoming a politician or producing films in Hollywood.
In addition to this wall of history and information, Gilmore said people will be speaking on LGBTQ-related topics throughout the day, such as mental health and suicide awareness and prevention, as well as a word from the leader of Kansas Pride, an event happening June 14 and 15 at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson.
Gilmore said groups and organizations will have booths to learn about opportunities in the community — such as Moms Demand Action, the League of Women Voters and other nonprofits that are LGBTQ-friendly and LGBTQ-oriented.
More:Youth Services at Salina Public Library to be updated with $3.6 million project announced
Entertainment at Salina Pride will include a drag show and games
Gilmore said Salina Pride will not only be about getting information but also about celebrating the LGBTQ community in Salina.
Some of that celebration will be with such entertainment as local baton group Taylor's Twirlers and music and games throughout the day.
One of the main events during Pride will be a drag show starting at 2 p.m. Gilmore said the show will incorporate three different acts with breaks between where the queens and kings will play games with the audience.
"(This show is) family-friendly, there's nothing provocative about this," Gilmore said. "I've already gone over the music with (the performers) and they all know it is family-friendly entertainment."
Finally, after the show, which will end around 5 p.m., Gilmore said there will be more music, final thank you's and announcements before organizers and volunteers help break things down.
Find more info about Smoky Hill Equality Coalition and Salina Pride
Gilmore said this event is a way to let people in the community know that Smoky Hill Equality is here and ready to help the community wherever it is needed.
One of these ways has already begun, as the coalition is collecting hygiene products — including toothpaste, soap, shampoo, tampons, condoms and more — that will be going to Salina Shares to pass out during laundry nights there. That drive will continue through Salina Pride.
"We're trying to extend that hygiene drive to make a very big impact on the homeless community here," Gilmore said.
Though he has spent time in other places around the country, Gilmore said he is a third-generation Salinan who wants to make a lasting impact on his home and this coalition, which has established an office in the Temple, registered as a nonprofit and more to make that legacy a reality.
"Smoky Hill is really about bringing the community together, not only the LGBT community, but the allies that lie beyond our community," Gilmore said. "It's important for all of us to come together during this month and see that when we're cooperative with each other, (there's) much we can bring to the community."
For more information about the Smoky Hill Equality Coalition, visit its website at smokyhillequalitycoalition.com. More information about Salina Pride can also be found on that website or on the event's Facebook page.
