10 questions with the Stockton Pride Festival: 'Fun, festive, and colorful'

The rainbow flag, love, and acceptance.

The annual Stockton Pride Festival is back in-person on Sunday to celebrate the local LGBTQ+ community after last year's postponement and 2020’s virtual celebration.

“You feel a sense of belonging and that's a great feeling,” said Jonathan Lopez San Joaquin Pride Center youth outreach director and presentation specialist.

The festival that first started in 2011 at Oak Grove Regional Park returns in person Sunday, as the ninth official festival. A crowd of more than 1,500 people is expected.

“I think just interest in this festival itself is up this year,” said Cymone Reyes, executive director of the San Joaquin Pride Center.

For those interested in receiving a free Monkeypox or a flu vaccine there will be a vaccination clinic at the Stockton Pride Festival. To register visit: myturn.ca.gov walk-ins are also welcome.

A drag show with nine performers is scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m. DeJa Skye, originally from Fresno, who was a contestant in season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race  will perform at the drag show.

Lopez also known as Hellen Heels also perform and join Ines Ruiz-Huston from El Concilio and Dan Arriola, Tracy city council member and San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney, as an emcee for the show.

“Hellen is just a feisty little fun dad joke kind of performer. I love you know, bringing the family vibe to it,” Lopez said.

This year the San Joaquin Pride Center raised the Pride flag at City Hall but for the first time also raised it at the San Joaquin County Administration Building.

“You know, I'm always asked when we raise the flag at the City Hall, what does that mean? Or why is that important to individuals? ... I encountered someone at the festival that said, “Are you guys the one that raised the flag at City Hall?"" said Reyes. “I said, "Yeah, we did,” He says, "I was having a really rough day and I was thinking about ending my life. I looked and I saw that my city saw me and that made my day even better.”

The Pride center is open to anyone and everyone with free services and a safe space at its new location in the Yosemite Street Village.

“We refer to this as the heart of the gayborhood,” Reyes said.

Lodi celebrated love, acceptance, and visibility at its second Lodi Pride Festival in June. On Oct. 9 Tracy will be celebrating its first ever Tracy Pride Festival at Lincoln Park.

For more information on the San Joaquin Pride Center call (209)565-5023 or visit: facebook.com/sjpridecenter  

Here are 10 questions with the San Joaquin Pride Center: Cymone Reyes, executive director of the Pride Center, Robert Greenlee, vendor chair for the Pride committee, and James Patnaude, clinic scheduler and transgender service coordinator of the Pride Center. Answers are transcribed from a recorded interview.

What is the Stockton Pride Festival?

Reyes: Stockton pride is an annual Pride festival that we hold here to celebrate (and) educate about the LGBT community.

What feedback have you received from the community?

Reyes: We survey actually the community every year and the one thing that they've always said is they've enjoyed how it's always been family-friendly. The fact that we are doing something to celebrate the community in this city they seem to enjoy as well.

Using three words how would you describe the Stockton Pride Festival?

Reyes: Fun, festive.

Greenlee: Colorful!

How large is the LGBTQ+ community in Stockton and in San Joaquin County?

Patnaude: I'm going to have to look at the statistics again, just based on the new census. But last census, it showed that there were at least 75,000 to 100,000 people who self-identify as LGBT with in our county.

What does this festival mean for the local LGBTQ+ community?

Reyes: It means a sense of visibility, a sense of acceptance, even just a sense of pride.

For those who do identify as LGBTQ+ but are afraid to come out in Stockton or in San Joaquin County what would you say to them?

Reyes: It's difficult at times when you can't be in your truth and for many reasons people choose or are not able to come out. I will say that anyone that is afraid to come out. Don't be afraid because there's organizations such as ours, that can assist and be there for them through every step of the process, whether through counseling for them and their family, providing outreach and education or even just a safe space for them to be.

Greenlee: And they're more than welcome to come and just be themselves at the festival. The festival is not just for gay and lesbians. It’s for the allies, it's for the friends and family. It's for everybody to get along and socialize together in a friendly, safe environment.

Reyes: Yeah, most definitely. And we have straight families that just come out because of the entertainment purpose or even just to introduce their kids to a different part of the community so it's a very welcoming space, for sure.

How does it feel to be back in person?

Reyes: It feels great. It really does. I think we as a community, we just as humanity miss the interaction that we were so used to and accustomed to, so I think we're all looking forward to be able to see friends once agian in person and celebrate in person.

What services do you provide at the San Joaquin Pride Center?

Reyes: We provide free counseling services, which is mental health counseling. We have interns that we get from the local universities, and we have an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) that supervises them. We also have two clinicians on staff to kind of fill those needs there. We do outreach and education, whether it's through schools, businesses, organizations.

Patnaude: Even if we don't, ourselves provide the resource. Let's say somebody comes in with a specific need we will connect them with other outside organizations to help meet that need.

What does the Pride Flag represent?

Reyes: It represents authenticity. It represents acknowledging yourself, your individuality. It represents the struggles that our generation went through, so that this generation can be more free within themselves. It represents the struggles of our four mothers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and the struggles that they went through, and that generation went through, to be able to get us to where we are now.

Greenlee: And tolerance.

Greenlee added: When you drive through a neighborhood and you see someone's house with a Pride flag … you become more proud of that neighborhood and of your community.

What is your favorite thing about the festival?

Reyes: Honestly, I love seeing the children. I love when parents bring their trans children, their gay children to their community and seeing the Glee and the joy in their face. The sense of belonging, I think the sense of acceptance.

If You Go

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday

Where: The Stockton Ballroom, 9650 Thornton Road, Stockton

Admission: $5 parking fee and a suggested $5 donation for entrance to the festival

Information: tinyurl.com/3zr8kkm9

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: 10 questions with San Joaquin Pride Center on Stockton Pride Festival