Sylva Pride says it won’t apply for another parade permit for its annual September event. The town council refused a road closure request by the nonprofit organization that organizes the annual LGBTQ+ Pride celebration in Jackson County.
“While our Board of Directors strongly disagrees with this decision, we have decided to not reapply for a parade permit with the Town of Sylva. We will improvise and overcome as we always do, however, Sylva Pride weekend is still on,” representatives said in an Instagram post.
Sylva Pride is scheduled for Sept. 13 to 15 with the festival on that Sunday at Bridge Park.
For the last three years, the Sylva Pride event has included a short parade. Last year, the parade looped from Bridge Park up Schulman Street and down two blocks of Main Street before turning back on Spring Street, toward the park.
Sylva Pride says that even without the parade, the event will still be inclusive for the local community.
“We are encouraging each of you to get involved – to get excited, to get ready, to show up and show out for your family,” the group wrote on Instagram.
In March, Sylva Town Council voted not to support a permit to close the street for the parade.
The state requires municipalities to submit road closure resolutions 90 days prior to an event that closes or detours a state road, Town Manager Paige Dowling said in an email to BPR.
North Carolina Department of Transportation special event guidelines were revised in 2023. NCDOT requires applications for road closures related to events that aren’t sponsored by a municipality. Last year, Sylva Town Council sponsored Sylva Pride so the group did not have to apply to DOT for the parade.
Some community members want Sylva Pride to bring back the parade. Organizers of “We Will March” say they are not associated with Sylva Pride but are concerned about the town’s decision on the road closure permit.
“The idea that if we are just quiet and go with the flow that maybe we will get it next year is going to be exactly why we don’t get it next year and the year after that,” We Will March organizer Jessie Roberts said earlier this month.
BPR reached out to We Will March to ask if the group will still be campaigning for a parade. A spokesperson responded on Instagram with a statement explaining that the group will still march.
“We believe the town board made the wrong decision and will continue to address that decision. While the denial of the parade permit was what mobilized the community, there are a lot of struggles facing the LGBTQ community right now. We are committed to confronting patterns of discrimination and exclusion that influence our local communities, often targeting those who are most vulnerable and from marginalized groups,” the statement reads.
“This is not just about a parade; it’s about standing up for people. We will still march for everyone.”
On April 14, Town Council Commissioner Natalie Newman announced that she was stepping down from the board. Newman told BPR that her decision was impacted by the vote.
“We've got to look our neighbors in the eye and address these issues and the elephant in the room,” Newman said. “Because we can say it's not here- that the hatred for the queer community, our brown people, our unhoused people.
We can say that we are accepting of all these people, and we love all these people, but our actions are not reflecting that right now.”
Sylva Pride has invited community to come talk about the “path forward together.” The group called at meeting called “Let’s Chalk About It” at the “You Belong Here” mural on Friday from 5 to 7pm.
“We have seen immense support from our community beyond our organization and we are actively listening. We would like to thank everyone who has shown initiative as we work to make our town a more beautiful and inclusive place,” Sylva Pride Board posted on Instagram.
