This year’s Pride Month was one of the largest in Jackson’s history. Rainbow flags, which the town helped pay for, hung on light poles around the town square. The mayor read a Pride proclamation at a town council meeting. And there were events all month put on by the recently formed group JHPride like picnics, hikes, climbs and a sold-out queer prom and dance party at the Mangy Moose on the last day of June.
For many this year’s Pride was both a celebration and a protest amid efforts nationwide to create laws that dial back LGBTQ+ rights. Wyoming recently joined twenty states in banning trans girls from playing on female sports teams.
Zoe Curran, Marika ‘Mari’ Hanson and Cody Boyce, all 23, grew up in Jackson. Curran is KHOL’s social media coordinator and a local DJ. Hansen is an avid winter sports enthusiast and ski instructor. Boyce, who also goes by the name Aurora, is one of the town’s best-known drag queens.
As Pride Month festivities wrapped up, the three sat down in the KHOL studios to reflect on growing up queer in Jackson, the growth of the town, and their hopes for the region’s LGTBQ+ community. Click listen below to hear their conversation.
