Residents gather to kick off Pride celebration

Dressed in the vibrant colors of the rainbow, local residents of different ages, genders and sexuality gathered at the staircase of the Curry County Courthouse on Sunday. With colored chalk in hand, attendees prepared to spread awareness for the Eastern New Mexico Rising's first "Chalk Up Main" event.

That was the kick-off festivity for Pride Week, which aims to celebrate and provides a safe and loving progressive community for LGBTQ+ members in rural New Mexico. Steering committee member Taylor McCoy said the majority of the events planned through Sunday will be family friendly, so that anyone can partake.

"We really wanted to do family friendly things. So people, of course, bring their children but also things that kids are gonna enjoy to do," McCoy said. "So we thought this would be really nice for children and also we thought this event in particular would be really inspiring to some of the other people who live in Clovis."

According to their website, Eastern New Mexico Rising is a non-partisan, progressive movement that empowers individuals and connects communities by advocating for equality, diversity, human rights and civil liberties.

McCoy said the movement was created about a year ago to combat the anti-abortion ordinances passed across eastern New Mexico. Despite the push back from protestors in the past year, the movement has continued to flourish to be a safe haven for those seeking representation within the community, she said.

"We wanted to show that there is a community of people here who are progressive," McCoy said. "Not only to the community, but to our commissioners and elected officials. There are other people here and they need to think about what we want as well."

The Rising group supplied chalk to the free event, in case guests didn't have any of their own. Children eagerly lined up as each one grabbed their individual packs of coloring utensils.

Families smiled and laughed as they decorated the public sidewalk. Within an hour the pale concrete was covered in drawings, various pride flags and notes that highlighted the importance of self love. Some guests expressed the importance of representation in rural locations like Clovis and Portales.

"We really need to move forward and march forward," Raul Rodriquez III said. "We're showing people that it's OK to be yourself and to be happy with who you are. To show who you are is not a sin to yourself or to anyone else."

As attendees took part in the event, several cars that drove down Main Street honked and yelled in support of the messages they were spreading. McCoy said all the board members of Eastern NM Rising and guests at the event are taught the importance of showing kindness no matter who comes to their events.

"Being a lifelong resident here in Clovis, I would love to see a bit more inclusivity like this. And seeing this happen for the first time in my life, after 32 years of living is so great," Rodriquez said. "... Our identity and who we are is worth it. Our love for each other and for everyone else is what can not be broken. No matter the bigotry, or the hatred we had to fight through all of our lives just to get to this point."

Despite the summer heat, guests made sure they stayed hydrated and kept their enthusiasm high as they colored the sidewalk. McCoy said that there are plans for more events throughout the week that people should keep an eye out and attend.