14 Years of Castro Valley Pride
More than 100 people attended the 14th annual family-friendly Castro Valley Pride event last Saturday. The event featured local vendors, food trucks, a kids' space, and hours and hours of family-friendly drag.
The celebration started the night before with a Trans Visibility Rally at the Castro Valley Boulevard Peace Corner. Saturday’s events kicked off with a welcoming prayer with more than a dozen local faith groups showing support.
“Our message to the community is that you are loved, you are accepted, you are safe,” Pride organizer Austin Bruckner told the Forum. “We want everyone to know that there are affirming groups for you, that there are groups you can participate in, and that we are here to protect public education.”
As in all years, CV Pride took the party up a notch with pulse-pounding dance music and exciting moves from Mistress of Ceremonies Ava Lashay and a cavalcade of fellow drag performers. Fan favorites included Avery Night, Mia Fierce, and Bonita Rose, as well as Mona Moore and the Moore family: Amaya Moore, Will Moore, and Angel Baby Moore.
The CV Pride event was founded as a student-led organization and has since become Alameda County's longest-running LGBTQ+ Pride organization. While every year is significant, Bruckner said this year is significant because CV Pride is recognizing the leaders who helped raise the Pride Flag at the Sunol Glen Unified School District.
“During COVID, CV Pride worked with local school districts across Alameda County, including Sunol to raise the first pride flags on their sites,” Bruckner told the Forum. “Their superintendent decided to display the Pride Flag, which started a conversation about a forced outing policy by their conservative school board and then an essential ban on pride flags in the community. We helped rally that community together, and today, we're going to recognize those leaders.”
He added that the success of the Pride celebration heavily relies on the collaboration of volunteers, vendors, support groups, allies, and faith groups.
One of those Pride support partners is Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS), a community mental health group that focuses on underserved populations. Steve Hayes, a program assistant with PEERS, says he was excited to attend Castro Valley's event and help educate attendees.
“Getting the right kinds of services is especially important to younger people within the LGBTQ+ community,” Hayes told the Forum. “They may be on the streets or forced to leave their homes, unsure where to turn or how to advocate for themselves. That's where we come in.”
Attendees were also invited to express their personal Pride moments with various crafts, a photo booth, and creative activities.