Video: Whatcom Youth Pride celebrates Bellingham’s commitment to inclusivity
Whatcom Youth Pride celebrated school-age LGBTQIA+ kids and their allies Saturday with a marching band, roller-skaters and a flag corps showing the various colorful banners associated with Pride.
Several hundred marchers traveled a one-mile route around the downtown core under sunny skies, ending with a festival at Bellingham High.
Along the way, crowds cheered, blew bubbles and waved signs supporting the rights of lesbian, gay, trans, intersex and others who are marginalized for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Mayor Kim Lund and city of Bellingham officials held a “Love lives here” banner, waved rainbow flags and squirted bubbles into the crowd.
Signs said “You are loved,” “We all bleed the same color,” and the Subdued City Rollers’ slogan “Skate don’t hate.”
Spectator Eowyn Savela told The Bellingham Herald that it is “more important than ever” for queer kids to see that they are loved.
“I’m so proud to be there for them, and I’m looking forward to seeing all their awesome creative outfits and clubs. We love to be here, we turn up every year,” Savela said.
