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COVID-19 has gotten in the way of yet another event we hold dear.
Portland Pride Festival announced this morning it will not take place as scheduled.
"In a world already filled with difficulty for LGBTQ+ people, we know all of the ways that Pride is important to our people," reads a statement by Portland Pride Northwest, which runs the event. "We also know the role we can and should play in ensuring the health and well-being of our community. At this moment in time, this is our priority."
Held annually in cities across the world, and in Portland since 1994, Pride usually takes place in June to commemorate the Stonewall uprising, which sparked the gay liberation movement in the late 1960s. It's basically become a monthlong international celebration, filled with parades and events, and something of a welcome party for people who have newly identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Related: How a Classified Ad in an Underground Newspaper Ignited Portland's LGBTQ Rights Movement.
This year's Portland Pride parade and festival was scheduled to take place June 13 and 14 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Portland Pride Northwest is still working to determine the new dates for this year.
For the immediate future, the organization says it's "shifting our short-term focus to ways in which we can support our community in this critical time."
Pride is just one major downtown event that will be pushed back to later in the year. Last week, the Rose Festival announced it has also been postponed indefinitely.