By Shaun Scott, Puyallup Tribal News
Love, acceptance and steadfast support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community permeated the atmosphere at the Puyallup Tribe’s Pride Festival July 19.
The celebration took place adjacent to the Tribal Administration building and brought together members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, allies and visitors to the Puyallup Reservation.
The rainbow prayer was given by Victory Looking Elk. Puyallup Tribal Council Chairman Bill Sterud and Councilwoman Annette Bryan delivered remarks to the crowd in attendance, drawing rounds of applause. The Puyallup Tribe Pride Planning Committee consisted of Brandi Douglas (chair), Hannah Strickler (vice chair), Araquin Boome (secretary) and Andrea Bob (member).
Douglas has helped co-organize the event since its inception in 2019. Bob and many other co-organizers throughout the years have also played a part in planning the event.
“It’s been really important and critical for me to remain engaged in this work as a queer and Two-Spirit person so that we as a Tribe can continue to foster a safe place for our 2SLGBTQ+ community members to feel welcomed, supported, celebrated and seen. This is especially important given this current (presidential) administration and its violent attempts at erasure of queer and trans people,” Douglas said. “This administration is doing all that it can to eliminate essential resources for our queer and trans community, so for us to be able to create an event to uplift our joy, share resources, fortify a larger support network and allow our relatives to exist in peace is so very important. I’m glad that we can continue to provide that to our immediate and greater community.”
Drag show performances by artists Holli B. Sinclair, Cherri Bepsi, Nucleara Pockalips, Foxy Roxy, D’Angelo Danger, Kitty Vixen and Gina Touche’ wowed spectators as they interacted with the audience while late 1990s music played.
Many attendees provided performers with cash tips as they completed their routines. Host Valerie Veeta was on the mic for the majority of the day, running the show with passion and exuberance.
“As a performer, it’s just great to see people enjoying our art, to see people inviting us into their world. We love putting on a show for them,” Veeta said. “It means the world to me to be here. We just have so much fun planning this event. The committee that comes together for this has so many wonderful ideas they bring to this event every single year.”
Drag bingo proved to be a popular attraction throughout the afternoon and was led by Delyla Dalyte. Seats were often completely occupied as attendees waited patiently for a seat to open up in order to play.
Raffles throughout the day and a large number of booths offered a wide assortment of arts, crafts and information for attendees. Individuals of all ages donned attire from nearly three decades ago during the Y2K best dressed competition.
The top three in the competition were decided by audience cheers, but the cheers were too close to call, leading to a final decision from the Tribe’s Pride committee.
After conferring with the committee, Seets Janzen, Kat Williams and Tini Van were the top three.
Councilman James Rideout and Councilwoman Anna Bean interacted with the public as they made their way from booth to booth throughout the afternoon.
“It’s great to see people be able to represent who they are in however they see fit. It is a community that is important amongst our Tribe. We’re 100% supportive wholeheartedly of this event,” Rideout said. “We got that protection for them here on this land. You (2SLGBTQIA+ community) are safe here and we’re happy to have you here.”
Bean echoed Rideout’s sentiment.
“It’s important to let our 2SLGBTQIA+ community know that they are supported, seen and heard. Our relatives need to know that we are proud allies,” Bean said. “It is exciting to be here. The Pride event has really grown over the years. The Pride Committee has done a phenomenal job over time.” Bean said.
Below is an excerpt of what Sterud and Bryan said when they addressed the crowd at the beginning of the event.
Chairman Bill Sterud
“Our teachings remind us that balance and harmony require that every gift be welcomed. Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual have always been part of that sacred circle. You are not recent additions. You are enduring, essential threads in the family of who we are. … I have often spoken about resilience, recalling difficult eras when rights were denied and families were disrupted. Remembering struggle is part of honoring triumph. From historic fights over fishing rights to the present, we have learned that visibility and courage can change history. … Pride brings people together in a good way, rooted in respect, joy and solidarity. Together, we reflect on the hardships our people have faced. There was a time we couldn’t fish; our land was stolen. These words are a reminder that overcoming attempts to erase us deepens our duty to ensure no one among us is erased for who they are or who they love.”
Councilwoman Annette Bryan
“I did see one elected official here. I see Laurie Jinkins, house speaker. She is a longtime advocate for our queer community and I just want to acknowledge that and thank you for the path that you laid out for us to make it easier to be who we are. … I want to think about the young people today, not just in the queer community, but in society in general that are maybe struggling, to just watch out for our young people and keep an eye on them. You can always talk to us older people. We do want to hear from you, we do love you and we do care about you. I just wanted to make that known today. … Be kind to each other and love one another.”
