BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — As the nation celebrates Pride Month, the LGBTQ+ community has been planning celebrations all over Kern County.
Unlike cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, Bakersfield isn’t known for its Pride events. However, in the month of June, one organizer commutes from Long Beach to make sure the Bakersfield LGBTQ+ community has a celebration.
“I have kept it in Bakersfield," said Jazzy Mabel, the organizer of Bakersfield's Pride Fair. "Why don’t I do it in Long Beach? Long Beach just doesn't need it and Bakersfield does. As long as it continues to need it, I want to be here for as long as I can.”
As the start of June kicks off Pride Month, many start the hunt to find pride parades and celebrations. The LGBTQ+ community in Bakersfield is no different.
One of those events is the Pride Fair, which was put on for its third year of operation by Mabel, a small business owner who wanted to show that there is more to this community in Bakersfield than meets the eye.
“The amount of people in my DMs just saying it's the safest Pride event they have ever been to, it’s only time they knew that community here, they had no idea they were gay people in Bakersfield, they had no idea there was a community here for them, and I was so attached to that," explained Mabel. "Even though, yes, I am in a different town now, this is my hometown. This is where my heart is and I care about growing that community.”
Growth is exactly what happened since her Pride Fair first started back in 2021.
This year's event was filled with lots of local vendors creating art, selling clothing, giving gender-affirming haircuts, and playing music at the open mic. The fair even drew out-of-towners all the way from North Carolina, who say that this event was a warm welcome to Bakersfield.
“I've only been here for three hours but I love what I’m seeing here,” said Grace Lawton, a member of the band Clover.
Her bandmate, Lynda Garcia, felt the same.
“There should definitely be more events like this. Obviously, there’s the market for it," said Garcia. "There’s tons of people who showed up for it and I think that you guys should keep it up.”
Keeping it up is exactly what Mabel plans to do
“I made emphasis with it at this point," said Mabel. "Yes, we’d love to have the monetary support, but we mostly just love to make the connections, have the friendship, and have the community as much for the attendees as it is for the people that are part of running it and are participating as vendors and musicians.”
To learn more about the annual Pride Fair, visit Jazzy Mabel's Instagram page.
