[photos] Palm Springs Pride celebrated its 40th anniversary in style, and we have the pics
Palm Springs' queer community has celebrated myriad victories over the past 40 years. The motto of Palm Springs Pride 2026 should be "We did it!"
Mark
![[photos] Palm Springs Pride celebrated its 40th anniversary in style, and we have the pics](https://lgbtprime.com/uploads/images/202611/image_870x_6af6530d62705.jpg)
Palm Springs’ queer community has celebrated myriad victories over the past 40 years since it hosted its first Pride in 1986: the legalization of same-sex marriage, the advent of PrEP, and most recently, the Blue-nami that turned the tide against the MAGA era. The motto of Palm Springs Pride 2026 may be “Be Included,” but for its Grand Marshal, Fortune Feimster, it should be “We did it!”
“It’s the time to celebrate being out and there’s so many of us that share the same story of coming out later in life because we didn’t feel like we could when we were young,” the queer comedian explained during a recent interview with GED Magazine, promoting her ‘Takin’ Care of Biscuits’ comedy tour that concluded at Palm Springs Pride. “So I think that once you come out and you’re just living your true authentic self, going to an actual Pride event or Pride parade, it just feels kind of like a ‘we did it’ sort of moment.”
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“Here we are, being ourselves and loving who we love,” continued Feimster, who shared the Grand Marshall mantle with fellow out entertainer Cheyenne Jackson, “and being out and hoping that others who haven’t quite reached that point yet for themselves will get to that point as well. They can just feel the weight of that lifted off of their shoulders.”
When the collective queer communities of the Greater Palm Desert area paraded down Palm Desert Canyon yesterday morning, they celebrated more than just acceptance. They reveled in the afterglow of not just a Blue Wave, but a Rainbow Wave that swept dozens of LGBTQ governors and congresspeople into office, including Chris Pappas, the first openly gay senator. Marni von Wilpert, the openly bisexual congresswoman who now represents Palm Springs was attended the festivities in person.
“I’m so excited to be celebrating Pride in our community,” Von Wilpert gushed on her Instagram story. “Standing up for LGBTQ rights is one of the main reasons I ran for Congress. I’m flying directly to Washington for new member orientation, but we couldn’t miss Pride!”
For those of you who couldn’t make it out to Palm Springs this weekend, we’ve snapped pics of some of our favorite moments from PS Pride. Which is your favorite?
Photography by Liam Koji
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