Young duo holds Pleasant Grove’s first Pride

Sixteen-year-old Jamie Knox co-hosted Pleasant Grove’s first Pride celebration June 29. Knox is the holder of this year’s “Righteous Miss Provo” title, an event held to help raise funds for Provo Pride.

As Knox and friend Tayler Adams, who performs at drag shows across the state and beyond as Brigitte Kiss, were competing and performing in all-ages drag competitions in Utah County, Knox said she wanted to create a Pleasant Grove Pride event. Adams used to lived in Pleasant Grove and Knox had just moved there from a small town in Missouri.

They put together what they call a different kind of Pride — one without sponsors that focused only on highlighting advocacy groups who support Utah County with information and support networks.

“Growing up, I didn’t really have a lot of support. And I’m very empathetic and sympathetic to everyone who doesn’t have it,” Knox told the Daily Herald. “I want to offer that to people.”

“Whatever kind of issues or trauma they’ve gone through, I just really want people to know that I’m here, or like people are there,” Jamie said.

Adams said it was important to them to bring something to a town they were deeply involved in.

“It means something to me, it means something to Jamie that we can have our place in that community,” he told the Herald. “I think the important thing is we’re bringing pride to a community that matters to us. I mean, it’s already there. But we’re gonna take a stand together.”

Adams said it was scary to call the city to rent Anderson Park for the event, as they had no idea what the response would be. Adams said the city was pretty neutral on the whole idea.

Pleasant Grove City Administrator Scott Darrington said the city is happy to have any event as long as event planners go through the proper channels to rent out a space and respect city restrictions, which he said Adams and Knox did.

The event was mostly a group meeting in the park, but also included musicians and drag performers, including Adams and Knox.

The duo hope to make the Pleasant Grove Pride celebration an annual event that will hopefully grow year to year.