Pride is happiness. Pride is love. Pride is about loving who you love.
Those were the themes as the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department held its first pride event at the Castaic Regional Sports Complex.
This event was a three-way partnership of Parks and Recreation, Skating Mamas and PFLAG’s Santa Clarita chapter.
“It shows we support the LGBTQ+ community and that it is letting people know that this is a safe place that they’re all welcomed and just to be here and be themselves and just have fun,” said Ashley Lipson, supervisor of the Castaic Regional Sports Complex.
Dozens of attendees made their way into the park wearing all the colors of the rainbow, ready to skate and run in the color run.
“We don’t care if you were a competitive skater when you were little and you can’t do anything now, what gender you are, sexual orientation,” said Patty Assaiante, a Skating Mamas attendee, “we just want you to have fun in the moment and enjoy your journey in skating.”
The attendees were an embodiment of diversity, and they all came together to celebrate pride.
“We all have struggled with pride in our own way, but I’m lucky enough that I have people supporting me and nurturing me so I could be proud of myself, so I feel brave that I’m part of an organization that will help people that maybe didn’t have the same opportunities I did,” said Assaiante.
Dawn Walker, president of PFLAG’s Santa Clarita chapter, began her journey with PFLAG when her son came out as transgender in 2016. Her son introduced her to PFLAG as a way to connect to the LGBTQ+ community and parents who were experiencing something similar.
Walker involved PFLAG in this event to emphasize what she learned early on in her journey – the importance of community.
“It’s important that there’s a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to be out and about in the community in events like this,” said Walker. “We’re out here skating and doing the color run, but also supporting the community, letting them know that it’s safe, that we’re safe. We’re a safe place for them.”
“For me, pride, I feel, means happy,” said Lipson. “Being proud of who you are, you know what you want to be, sometimes people don’t know, but they just know who they are personally and I think that’s what speaks pride for me.”
“Love always wins right?” said MJ Vogel, a Skating Mamas attendee. “Love is love. Whatever that means to the person, and just supporting everybody because as humans and community that’s what we’re supposed to do, love on each other.”
“It’s just letting everybody be who they who they want to be, and who they are, and accepting people for whatever and wherever they are in their journey,” said Walker. “It’s a crazy time right now in the country and we just want people in the community to know that there is a very large population of LGBTQ+ people here. They need to feel welcome.”
Vogel said that she hopes this becomes an annual event.
