The student-led group focuses on issues that are important to local students, including LGTBQ+ awareness, racial issues and climate change, president Vidya Muthupillai said.
“Our goal is to elevate the voices of people in Pearland,” Muthupillai said.
The group decided to host a pride event this year after having a lot of young people reach out and ask them if they knew of any local support groups for the LGBTQ+ community, she said.
“We wanted to bring this visibility to the LGBTQ+ community, and we wanted to show them a safe space and make sure that they were supported,” Muthupillai said.
Pride Month is typically celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was a show of resistance by the LGBTQ+ community against a police raid.
It was important to the Pearland Youth Movement for Pride to be celebrated in some way in Pearland, and not just in a more metropolitan area such as Houston, Muthupillai said.
“LGTBQ+ communities exist everywhere, even when they aren’t visible,” she said. “These people’s lives are impacted by not only the rhetoric but by the policies and legislation we pass.”
The event will be a casual, family-oriented gathering, Muthupillai said. There will be live music, face painting, henna, karaoke and a drag queen as a special guest. The event will also include food and drinks, statements by the community and some Pride merchandise.
“The event is kicking off visibility,” she said. “The most important part comes beyond pride month. I hope the support for this event changes people’s views in everyday life.”
