LIVINGSTON — Livingston is having its biggest Pride celebration yet with a three-day event at the Park County Fairgrounds.
"Livingston has had drag shows for decades and they are just becoming increasingly popular. In fact, one of the reasons this has moved to the fairgrounds, to a larger location, is because they kept selling out smaller venues," says Executive Director at Explore Livingston Coalition Kris King.
Livingston used to celebrate Pride with a one-night event, but as it began attracting visitors from all over the state, it has grown into Livingston’s first-ever citywide Pride.
"It’s a great economic driver for our community as well as really sending that 'all are welcome' messaging that we work so hard to convey," says King.
I spoke with volunteers at Trans Closet Montana, a Bozeman-based group holding a pop-up shop at Livingston’s Cactus Blossom Collective.
"We are a mutual-aid group based out of Bozeman that brings free gender-affirming clothing, shoes, and undergarments all across the state of Montana," says Trans Closet Montana's Lead Volunteer, Oz Smith.
"We really want to emphasize that trans folks exist everywhere and need resources everywhere," he says.
Earlier this month, anti-LGBTQ+ fliers were posted around Livingston, but the opposition didn’t deter supporters. They hope other LGBTQ+ individuals growing up in small Montana communities know they’re not alone.
"We know that recently, and in the past, we had a little bit of clashes with some people in the community, but we’re just trying to show people that we’re here to spread love and comfort and respect for our community," says another volunteer.
A proposed city proclamation from Tuesday stated that the city “is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and welcoming community” and “condemns all forms of hate activity.”
"The people who have negative things to say are loud, but they are the minority. And the majority of Livingston is welcoming and super happy to accept everyone where they are," says King.
For more information on the celebration and list of events, visit the event Linktree.
