October? More like OUT-tober!
People of all ages descended on downtown Las Cruces Saturday, Oct. 5, for the annual LGBTQ+ Pride Parade of Southern New Mexico.
“With Southern New Mexico being such a bright and vibrant young community, I’m just so excited to be surrounded by so many queer people all at once,” community leader Gage Burnett said.
While this was only the second pride parade in Las Cruces, the pride event itself originated in the early 1990s.
According to Safe Home, the Land of Enchantment is one of the safest states in the country for LGBTQ+ people and some attendees said they chose to live here for a reason.
“It’s a place where we celebrate ourselves in the way we need to and we can build our families however we want to,” Burnett said.
Pride is celebrated across the globe and the local event drew a diverse crowd from across the region. Participants hoped the event will keep growing.
“I’m excited to keep seeing the parade grow,” NMSU LBGTQ+ Coordinator Lore Falls said. “Maybe a longer route, more organizations, a route that maybe goes around instead of just once down through.”
Organizers said they hope to someday bring the parade closer to other parts of the city including the NMSU campus.
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