BERKELEY — Queer pleasure would be the theme of Berkeley’s inaugural Delight Competition in August, an occasion organizers mentioned shall be each a “powerful celebration” and testomony of dedication to town’s lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender and queer neighborhood.
Berkeley Delight, slated for Aug. 16 in downtown Berkeley, shall be hosted by the Pacific Heart for Human Development, the oldest LGBTQIA+ middle within the Bay Space and third oldest within the nation. The road competition will “transform the heart of the city into a vibrant hub” centered on queer tradition, activism and celebration, the organizers introduced in a press launch Monday.
“In 2025, we are overjoyed to launch Berkeley Pride as a vibrant street fair, creating a space that honors our history while building our future,” mentioned Lasara Firefox Allen, Pacific Heart for Human Development CEO, in an announcement Monday. “We’re building a Pride that reflects the spirit of Berkeley — radical, inclusive, and deeply community-driven.”
Delight occasions giant and small have been a staple within the Bay Space. Hundreds have attended parades and festivals centered on the LGBTQ neighborhood in San Francisco and Oakland for many years, taking in concert events and drag reveals, studying about assets and elevating funds for numerous causes.
Berkeley Delight continues a years-long enlargement of extra native Delight occasions.
CoastPride in San Mateo County launched inaugural Delight occasions in Half Moon Bay and Pacifica in the previous couple of years, constructing on the greater than a decade of celebrations held in San Mateo by the San Mateo County Delight Heart and county and metropolis officers.
Within the East Bay, Richmond Rainbow Delight held town’s first Delight Parade in 2023, and Martinez held its first Delight competition the identical 12 months. The next 12 months additionally noticed a growth in city-sponsored Delight occasions within the space from Fremont and San Leandro to Pinole. And Berkeley Humane, a nonprofit animal shelter, has held a doggy Delight parade since 2022, aiming to spice up adoptions and lift funds for the shelter.
For Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii, the pattern is a welcomed one. Native and family-friendly Delight occasions are essential to make sure all ages can take part and see themselves mirrored of their neighborhood, she mentioned. Ishii’s Chief of Employees Cydney Chilimidos and Amy Johnson Rodas, a legislative aide in Councilmember Igro Tregub’s workplace, have been aiding with the planning, she mentioned.
As a bisexual lady, Ishii mentioned she’s stunned it’s taken so lengthy for an occasion to come back to Berkeley, a “city of progress and inclusivity” for many years, because the Pacific Heart put it. Although not politically motivated, Ishii mentioned she’s excited to see the Delight Competition come to town at a time when queer folks, significantly transgender people, are going through assaults from President Donald Trump’s administration and Republican state governments.
Trump has signed numerous govt orders making an attempt to take away transgender folks from the army and historic report; finish federal funding for gender-affirming care for teens and funding for academic packages that permit transgender girls and ladies to play in girls’s sports activities; and declare that solely two sexes, female and male, exist and the one assigned at delivery shall be acknowledged on authorized paperwork.
American Civil Liberties Union, a nationwide civil rights group, can also be presently monitoring 527 anti-LGBTQ payments proposed throughout the nation from rest room bans and well being care obstacles to non secular exemptions and college restrictions.
“We don’t want to take anything for granted, and being in a time when folks are feeling their rights are being threatened and their existence being erased from history books, it’s important we stand up and create pride, create places for folks to feel safe,” Ishii mentioned. “Unfortunately, I think our existence is political, period. … That’s why it’s so important we continue to have celebrations and be open in protecting people’s rights, their ability to live the lives they want to live.”
Specializing in queer pleasure is especially poignant, Ishii mentioned, noting pleasure is a core worth in her workplace.
“I really see joy as something that’s radical, it’s something people can’t take away,” Ishii mentioned.
Along with that includes stay efficiency from Berkeley and East Bay artists and queer-owned teams, companies and meals distributors, the occasion may also middle “the healing power of peer support,” psychological well being and wellness, Allen mentioned within the press launch.
Additionally supporting the occasion are the Downtown Berkeley Affiliation and Go to Berkeley.
“Berkeley has been a beacon of inclusivity and acceptance for decades, with the Pacific Center supporting our LGBTQIA+ community since the early ‘70s,” Go to Berkeley President and CEO Jeff Church mentioned in an announcement. “Visit Berkeley is proud to support and be a sponsor of Berkeley’s first Pride celebration and will continue showcasing our city as a welcoming destination for all who visit.”
