Franklin hosts Pride Paddle

FRANKLIN — The mill city celebrated Pride Month on the Winnipesaukee River last weekend during Pride Paddle, a kayaking and rafting event during Winni River Days. 

“Whitewater paddlers are whitewater paddlers first, right? It doesn't matter who you are, your age, your race, your orientation, your gender. None of that matters,” Marty Parichand said. “All that matters is like that you like the water.”

Winni River Days was put on by Outdoor New England and Mill City Park at Trestle View Park for its sixth year. The event, which aims to connect the local community to river that runs through New Hampshire’s smallest city, included live music, food, vendors and outdoor activities to get more people onto the water. During Pride Paddle, whitewater paddlers traveled down the rapids of the Winnipesaukee River in kayaks and a raft on Saturday morning, marking Pride Month in June, recognizing the LGBTQ+ community. Event organizer Parichand owns Outdoor New England, and founded the nonprofit Mill City Park. 

Mill City Park collaborated with Northwest River Supplies for this year’s Winni River Days event, and worked particularly with Ann Gillard, board member of The Venture Out Project and founder of Pride on the River. The Venture Out Project aims to create a community for LGBTQ+ youth and adults to develop leadership skills and gain confidence through the shared experience of outdoor adventure and physical activity. Gillard, a kayaker who is lesbian and queer but more accurately describes herself as being “in the rainbow,” is mostly responsible for bringing the Pride Paddle to Winni River Days.

“The outdoors and rivers in particular have always been a source of respite and rejuvenation for me,” Gillard said. “Being able to celebrate Pride Month with people in the community who are LGBTQ and who are allies is a way to use this opportunity to raise awareness that we're here, we matter, and it's a way to celebrate.”

Kaitlyn Shaw, of Franklin, was one of five participants in Pride Paddle. Shaw is an ally, and not part of the LGBTQ+ community, but her oldest brother came out as gay after starting a family. Pride Paddle is one way she can support him.

“A few years ago, he came out. And just thinking about what he must have gone through, feeling like he couldn't be his true self, is really impactful,” Shaw said. “I feel like people that are in the LGBTQIA community deserve support for being who they are. And that's why I wanted to participate.”

Gillard was happy the event was starting conversations about pride. Gillard believes the political climate today has been more aggressive toward her community, and she hopes this is only the start of increased of awareness for LGBTQ+ people in the Lakes Region and New England as a whole.

“In this era of increasingly hostile legislation, social movements against LGBTQ, people trying to erase us, trying to erase our history, it's more and more important to celebrate and to find the joy and find the community in who we are, and to make sure that we're out there and that we're not erased.”