Pride Prom gives SLO County LGBTQ+ students a safe space to celebrate their identity
Prom season is in full swing in San Luis Obispo County, leaving behind a trail of glitter and classically awkward photos.
Underneath all the glitz and glam, Art and Soul SLO founder Faith LeGrande remembers prom as a somewhat stifling, hetero-normative experience, especially at the small, private high school she attended.
“There’s always that pressure to find ‘the one,’ find your date, find your Prince Charming — rather than just focusing on celebrating getting through the year together, celebrating with your friends, celebrating yourself especially,” LeGrande said.
LeGrande is part of the team that created a new type of prom: One free of gender roles and hetero-normative expectations, where students can express their identity freely in a supportive environment.
Art and Soul SLO and the Gala Pride and Diversity Center collaborated with local students to organize Pride Prom, an event designed to celebrate LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
“It’s just a place for people to be themselves, to dress the way they want, act the way they want, and have a fantastic time with peers who are like them or supportive of them,” event co-organizer Val Jones said.
At Pride Prom, students can dance the night away to music played by Central Coast artist DJ Dagaz, and pose for photos with Art and Soul SLO’s rainbow Pride Arch.
Art and Soul SLO will also set up its Youth Arts and Activities Space, nicknamed YEA, filled with coloring books, fidget toys, art supplies and “cozy pods to rest in between the dancing and the socializing,” LeGrande said.
The prom will also offer snacks and drinks, including Jamba Juice smoothies.
“In high school and younger years, it’s important to see that there’s more out there,” LeGrande said. “You can become anything, you can be accepted for who you are. Even if those around you currently don’t understand — that doesn’t mean you’re not you. We want to just give them hope.”
Pride Prom will be held on Saturday at the SLO High School gym from 7 to 10 p.m. It’s open to all high school students on the Central Coast, including the northern portion of Santa Barbara County.
Students can buy tickets online for $15 at bit.ly/3Mi4v6a.
In-house security will protect the event, along with local volunteers who will keep an eye out for threatening behavior, LeGrande said.
SLO high school students imagined Pride Prom. ‘We get to help them bring it to life’
SLO High School students imagined the idea of an LGBTQ+ prom, and brought the idea to Val Jones during their youth group meeting. Jones is a youth group facilitator at the Gala Pride and Diversity Center.
Thrilled by the idea, Jones pitched it to the Gala Pride and Diversity Center’s Board of Directors — who recruited local nonprofit Art and Soul SLO to help plan the prom.
SLO High School Principal Rollin Dickinson said the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance faculty adviser asked the school in February to host Pride Prom, and the school agreed, Dickinson said.
Jones said the students were instrumental in organizing the event, as they helped plan a silent auction fundraiser in April for the prom, and also decided on the prom’s theme, music and food.
“I think one exciting part is just to know that this vision came from the students directly, and that we get to help them bring it to life and to encourage them to pursue these big ideas,” LeGrande said.
LeGrande said the goal of the prom is to encourage self-expression, celebration and connecting with other students across the county.
“Growing up is tough, and we want to be there for them,” LeGrande said. “As older adult volunteers, we want to be who we needed when we were younger. We want to provide a brave space for them to not feel outcast, to feel celebrated as they are.”
LeGrande hopes to provide an environment where students can build supportive, accepting relationships with their peers.
“You haven’t met everybody that you will love yet, or that will love you yet,” LeGrande said. “We just want to provide more opportunity for those types of connections.”
