Dust off the sequins and get ready for a night of dancing as the High Desert’s Pride Prom returns. Building on the success of its inaugural event, Pride Prom is premiering for a second year on Friday, May 1, once again offering LGBTQ+ students a welcoming space to celebrate prom on their own terms.
Hosted by High Desert Pride Center, the dance is designed to welcome LGBTQIA+ individuals, allies, families, and community members of all ages.
“Pride Prom is about creating the kind of space many of us wished we had growing up — one where everyone feels safe, seen, celebrated, and free to be themselves,” High Desert Pride Center representative Will Smith stated in a press release. “This event bridges generations, honoring the elders who paved the way while uplifting youth who continue to lead us forward.”
Event organizers will welcome first-time prom attendees and repeat dancers alike. Admission to the event is free with prior registration. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the event begins at 5 p.m. at the Victor Valley College Educational Event Center. Register at eventbrite.com/e/pride-prom-an-intergenerational-event-tickets-1985016098586.
What to expect at this year’s prom
Last year’s Pride Prom was an event to remember, filled with dancing, drag performances, the crowning of the best dressed and more.
This year will offer similar experiences. Local drag performers will command the stage once again, as well as the 501st Legion, a group of Star Wars cosplayers.
“I feel like many queer people missed out on a slow dance with their partner at prom, but now you can make up for lost time,” Luna Lockhart stated on social media, one of the prom’s previous drag performers.
Texas Roadhouse dinner is included at no additional charge to eventgoers. Dishes to choose from will be pulled pork, barbecue chicken and veggie kebabs with sides of corn, salad, whole sweet potatoes, or mashed potatoes with gravy.
Adding to the fun are photo booths to capture prom memories, and a “royal court,” a best dressed competition that will crown the youth and adult winners.
There is no age limit for this event.
High Desert Pride Center’s impact
The Pride Center has been at the forefront of getting recognition for the High Desert’s LGBTQ+ community. The organization has championed support behind the Victor Valley College Pride Center, the first resource center of its kind in the region, as well as hosting the first-ever Pride events in the Victor Valley.
Most recently, the High Desert Pride Center prepared a curatorial exhibit as part of the Inland Empire exhibition, “Out in the I.E.,” which chronicled the Inland Empire’s LGBTQ+ community and their impact on art and civil rights over the past 50 years.
Photos from the High Desert Pride Center’s first Pride festival in 2024 were showcased at the Riverside exhibit as “one of the newest Pride celebrations in the Inland Empire.”
Clippings from a 1998 Daily Press news story also hung under the “We Keep Us Safe” exhibit pinwheel, recording the real fears of “anti-gay attacks” in the desert following the murder of Lynette Jarvis and the shooting of her wife, Tiesha Doty, in Lucerne Valley following a hitchhiking pickup gone wrong.
The community activity that the High Desert Pride Center has been a part of this decade shows the organization’s dedication to providing not only safe spaces but also a spotlight to the desert’s “out and proud” population.
McKenna is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: A proud return as High Desert Pride Prom steps back into spotlight
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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