Missoula Pride’s Resilience Flourishes in the Face of Adversity

Get ready for an unforgettable Missoula Pride. This year's celebration promises resilience, empowerment, and an unapologetic celebration of individuality in the face of adversity. 

Missoula Pride is set to alleviate anxiety levels this year with enhanced safety measures during the exciting lineup of events. From performances by headliners like Slayyyter to educational sessions on transgender rights, the festival promises a diverse and engaging experience for attendees of all ages. 

A New Year, Same Problems, Bigger Goals for Missoula Pride

Founding Director of Pride, Devin Carpenter, is looking forward to the third year of Missoula Pride. Over the past year, there has been a threat to the LGBTQ+ community with Zooey Zephyr getting barred from the Senate floor and a resurgence of hate online and in person towards the LGBTQ+ community. Carpenter says that he is feeling better this year and that things have calmed down- but the threat is still there. Missoula Pride is planning to take all the same safety measures they have made in the past during all three days of the celebration. There will be private security and police presence, and volunteers have gone through safety training.  

This year’s Missoula Pride is looking bigger than ever. “We have become so large and so fiscally successful we can start providing funds to other organizations and other communities to bring those kind of events to those places. That is the goal at the end of the day,” Carpenter said “We want to be big because we want to bring attention to Montana.” There are over 40 sponsors of Missoula Pride. There are multiple different events, educational sessions, and panels. This is the biggest Missoula Pride since the start in 2022. 

On both Friday and Saturday during the Missoula Pride Block Party, will have a variety of artists such as:  

• Slayyyter  
• DJ Suka  
• WARPONY 
• Hairspray Queen  
• And many more! 

There will be multiple Missoula businesses hosting pride events such as: 

• Roller Disco night  
• Drag Shows 
• Paddleheads Pride Night 

A more extensive list of events and artists is on the Missoula Pride Events page.  

Resilience in the Face of Adversity 

“I would argue that celebration in of itself is activism,” Carpenter said, “being able to be in community with one another with less fear is an act of defiance, especially given the state of our world and the number of people who don’t think some of us should exist.” Carpenter is in charge of Missoula Pride’s social media and has hidden many hateful comments from the posts. Missoula Pride understands that hate speech is free speech which is a constitutional right, however, that will not stop the events from happening.  

Carpenter explained that Missoula Pride is something that not only gives people a place to be themselves. He said that he’s heard countless stories of people coming out at pride. Missoula Pride is a place where people can express themselves and not be afraid to show their true colors. People of all ages, genders, and sexualities are welcome at Missoula Pride to celebrate individuality and the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community despite all the hardships they have faced. Missoula Pride this year will start on Thursday, May 13 and the last day is Saturday, May 15.