{"id":197954,"date":"2026-06-11T17:17:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T23:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slugmag.com\/?p=197954"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:17:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T23:17:59","slug":"utah-pride-parade-2026-life-elevated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slugmag.com\/community\/utah-pride-parade-2026-life-elevated\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah Pride Parade 2026: Life Elevated"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s the first weekend of June, and the streets of downtown Salt Lake City are painted in a rainbow of pedestrians and the most colorful personalities. <\/span>Utah Pride<\/span><\/i><\/a> has electrified Utah\u2019s diverse LGBTQ+ community with safe, accessible and inclusive services and events. To show off SLC’s true queerness, the <\/span>Utah Pride Parade<\/span><\/i> marched on, shouting and cheering the community. And <\/span>SLUG Magazine<\/span><\/i> was along for the celebration!<\/span><\/p>\n

The parade began on West Temple, walking all the way through 100 South and ending at the corner of 300 South and 400 East. Contributors and employees of both <\/span>SLUG<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Craft Lake City<\/span><\/i><\/a> donned the matching cream-colored tees designed by local illustrator <\/span>Tali Southam<\/b> (<\/span>@doggies_crust<\/span><\/i><\/a>). On them is the depiction of a trans cowboy couple walking through a desert landscape. Some of us were carrying signs sporting the same illustration, while others were making mad dashes to the crowd, passing out the new <\/span>LGBTQ+ Pride<\/span><\/i> issue of the magazine. The temperature was heating up, but so were the thousands of parade-goers! It seemed like everyone was here to join in on the fun: drag queens, classic hot-rodders, <\/span>Wiseguys comedy, <\/span><\/i>news outlets, a handful of furries and even The New Republic with Darth Vader and an army of gay Stormtroopers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the parade came to an end, the celebration was just getting started! Just down the street, the <\/span>Utah Pride Festival<\/span><\/i> was becoming the hub of love and self-appreciation. Inside, patrons would be picking up beverages, dancing to live music and making safety pin charms at the <\/span>SLUG<\/span><\/i> booth. Here\u2019s to another month of Pride \u2014 stay true to yourself!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photos: John Barkiple \/\/ @johnbarkiple<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n