Clayton ‘marches with Pride, stands with love’
CLAYTON, CA (May 29, 2024) — In June 2022, Clayton became the first city in Contra Costa County to host a Pride Parade.
It was just a couple of years earlier that Clayton had joined with their surrounding Contra Costa County cities, becoming one of the last cities to recognize Pride Month in June.
Those same volunteers who petitioned City Hall in 2020 migrated that small rag-tag group into what we now know as Clayton Pride, with the mission of impacting the perception of Clayton as a welcoming and inclusive place to live for all. That first parade was an unmitigated success, garnering a crowd of nearly 2,000 from far and wide to celebrate an undeniable message of love and joy for all.
This year’s June 2 event is shaping up to be an even grander celebration, with Congressman Mark DeSaulnier as the keynote speaker as well as nationally renowned musician Arnold McCuller and an expected crowd of more than 6,000 as Clayton “Marches with Pride and Stands with Love.”
Building inclusivity
Tucked into our small hamlet at the base of Mount Diablo, it can be easy to remove ourselves from the challenges that we see on the news in larger cities – to fool ourselves that Clayton is too small and unique for hate, inequality and discrimination to exist. Our children tell us otherwise.
Cis-gender parents and volunteers, otherwise known as allies, started Clayton Pride. After countless stories of bullying, feeling unworthy and isolation, this group has been determined to build Inclusivity from the ground up with the mindset of “build it and they will come.”
Clayton has a small LGBTQ+ population and the few here often want to blend into the masses without recognition or pomp and circumstance. Some can garner safety and comfort from this approach, though for others, the need to fit in can mean life or death.
Everybody deserves to be the best version of themselves. While some can argue that a parade can only do so much, the flip side of that coin is: What if that parade changed someone’s life? What if they, for once, felt safe, accepted, loved and a part of something bigger? What if?
We hope all will join Clayton Pride and the larger Clayton community at 10 a.m. June 2 as we will celebrate loud and proud a message of inclusivity and love because if you lead with kindness, you can never go wrong.
Clayton Pride welcomes support from all in the community who wish to see us unite in love and care for one another. Private donations from individuals and businesses of all backgrounds fund the parade. If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.claytonpride.com.