By: WOTS Staff
Word on the Street Issue 47, September 2024
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Boise Pride Festival’s Executive Director, Donald Williamson and Senior Director, Clinical Learning & Student Services at St. Luke’s, Sara Gibbons, visited our WOTS Editorial Meeting last month to discuss available resources for our LGBTQ+ guests and the upcoming Boise Pride Festival.
Boise Pride is about creating a network of support and resources that extends to every corner of our community, including those facing homelessness.
“We felt an obligation to offer more to the community and do more in the community and we’re currently in the process of figuring out what that is,” Williamson said.
Williamson also noted that this year, in regard to the aforementioned quote, that all of the necessary resources will be in one place. For our guests who might struggle with transportation or navigating multiple service providers, this centralization of support will be a game-changer.
“I do know that throughout the years, we have been that connector to resources but one of the greatest things about the festival is that all of those resources will be there,” Williamson said.
As we know, Pride has shifted to September in recent years, however, this move has brought some unexpected benefits for our community. Our WOTS Editorial guests questioned Willliamson about the shift from June to September and he replied with many optimistic reasons: the cooler weather, more available vendors and much more potential for community engagement.
Williamson and Gibbons both stressed that the festival is all about letting people be themselves.
This outreach from Boise Pride represents more than just an event—it’s a reminder that our LGBTQ+ guests are seen, valued and supported by the wider community. It’s not just a celebration, but a chance to access resources, connect with supportive communities and help individuals find ways to transition out of homelessness and into stable living situations.
Thank you Boise Pride for your commitment to making Pride and its resources accessible to all members of our community, regardless of their housing situation. When we come together, we can create a more inclusive, supportive and hopeful community for everyone.