TEHACHAPI, Calif. (KERO) — On the final days of Pride Month, Tehachapi residents gathered on Saturday for a Pride Potluck Picnic, dedicated to honoring diversity and fostering inclusivity within the community.
- Organizers emphasized the positive impact the event had on LGBT+ community members, allies, and the youth.
- The event included a potluck, tables filled with food, games, face and body painting, and even a piñata.
- Looking ahead, organizers aims to launch a nonprofit called Tehachapi Pride in the coming year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Several people gathered at Philip Marx Park Saturday in Tehachapi to celebrate pride. Event organizers tell me how it's a testament to love, acceptance, and the importance of community support.
“God is love, and his most important command was for us to love one another and that's what pride is about to me, it’s about love,” says Dasha Stawiak.
I spoke with Dasha Stawiak at the Tehachapi pride picnic in Philip Marx Park. She said she was in awe that the community organized this event near the end of Pride Month, emphasizing its positive impact on LGBT+ community members, allies, and youth.
Edmund Whelan an organizer for the event also had a message for the youth, and what he would like them to know, and take away from the picnic.
“Know that they’re not alone, know that they’re not evil or unnatural, know that there is a group here that is full of people like them,” says Edmund Whelan.
The event featured a potluck, tables brimming with food, games, face and body painting, and even a piñata. I spoke with Anjali Tierra, a passionate organizer of the event, who shared her motivation behind uniting the community and creating this celebration.
“We needed to put more energy into coalescing the pride community and our allies so that we could have safety numbers, but also be visible most, especially for the youth,” says Anjali.
Anjali told me that she's in the process of launching a nonprofit called Tehachapi Pride, which she hopes will gain momentum in the coming year. For now, she's thrilled with the turnout at this event.
“It’s such a beautiful example of that we are here and now we get to come together as a community have a voice and be able just to have a good time” continues Anjali.
Organizers tell me they are planning to have another major pride event around the same time next year.
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