Pride at Multnomah County Library is a special time to celebrate our local 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Join us for fun events for the family, crafts, book displays and much more!
There’s a lot of Pride programming to get excited about this year:
- A family-friendly Pride party at North Portland Library on May 31, featuring Lady Berri Matthews, face painting, crafts, a scavenger hunt and more.
- An Indigiqueer Pride gathering at Midland Library with face painting, an Indigiqueer storytime, art activities, presentations by Two-Spirit performers and more.
- Afternoons with storytellers from Our Bold Voices.
- A series of Rainbow Family Storytimes where kids get a book to take home.
- And much more!
We’re also thrilled to return to the Portland Pride Waterfront Festival on July 19 and 20 this year. Stop by our table to say hi to library staff and pick up some fun items, like bookmarks with queer reading recommendations.
“It has been a sincere pleasure to be a part of the Pride 2025 planning team at the library this year!” says Community Engagement Outreach Supervisor Carson Mischel. “I am so proud of all of the work that has gone into planning and developing library events and resources that celebrate our Queer community and welcome them and their loved ones into our library spaces.”
The first Pride marches took place on June 28, 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprising. Pride gatherings have continued annually since. Oregon’s first Pride celebration was an indoor dance in 1971 that was organized by The Second Foundation of Oregon. The state’s first outdoor Pride celebration, the Gay Pride Fair, was in 1975 at the South Park Blocks. 2025 marks 50 years since this first outdoor celebration!
Oregon’s first Pride parade took place in 1976, with a route going through downtown Portland that ended at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. It was organized by civil rights activist (and former Multnomah County employee) Kathleen Saadat. In 2018, Multnomah County announced the Kathleen Saadat Award, given to a local 2SLGBTQIA+ person who advocates for marginalized communities as Saadat has.
For many years, Portland’s Pride was on the third weekend of June to avoid overlap with larger West Coast cities. This resulted in local scheduling conflicts with celebrations like the Delta Park Powwow and Juneteenth. In 2023, the organizers moved the parade and festival to July. Across the state there have been many different Pride celebrations, including in Astoria, Beaverton, Eugene, Hillsboro, Newport, Salem and more. In Multnomah County, Gresham hosted a Pride festival in October 2022, which has not repeated since.
Join the library at different locations May through July to celebrate Pride in person, or honor the season wherever you are by reading queer books this summer!
Reading lists
Queer Joy, for all ages
In celebration of Pride and LGBTQIA voices, check out these selected titles that celebrate queer joy, for readers of all ages.
Queer Resistance, for all ages
In celebration of Pride and LGBTQIA+ voices, here are select titles focused on the topic of queer activism and resistance.
Queer Self-expression from Indigenous and QTBIPOC voices, for all ages
In celebration of Pride, check out these titles about self-expression from Indigenous/BIPOC voices.
