Why is the Rally & March cancelled this year?

The decision to cancel this year’s rally and march has come after much discussion with our board

of directors, community organizers and activists, and our planning team. After last year’s issues

with aggressive hate groups during the rally, we applied for and received a Downtown Program

Fund grant from the City of Eugene to support the event with fencing, gated entry, and the ability

to better control an environment where tensions can quickly escalate. Our intention was to host a

street fair with stage programming, including activists speakers and entertainment.

Pride was told on Monday by a liaison with EPD that should we not file a parade permit, EPD may

not direct resources to support the march and that if anything happened, it would be on us. They

stated that any of our volunteers that were in the street could be viewed by EPD as engaging

in disorderly conduct. This, despite that fact that EPD has provided traffic control for at least four unpermitted marches in Eugene this year, including a Charlie Kirk rally and march.

Over the last few months, however, trans activists in the community have been increasingly

targeted. Including several being detained by DHS during the incident at the federal courthouse in

January that EPD declared a riot. The so-called riot was started by federal agents as they

departed the courthouse and attacked peaceful protesters with pepper balls and other chemical

irritants. Observers and activists emphasized that transgender women, including our rally and

march organizers, were specifically targeted for arrest.

Additionally, queer and trans activists have been repeatedly targeted by EPD for using amplified

sound at protests on public property, including protests involving DHS. However, hate groups

have been allowed to use amplified sound to disrupt Pride events despite our many years of

pleading for support in maintaining public safety. The double standard in treatment is blatant

and impossible to ignore or accommodate.

More recently, an EPD officer was caught on leaked body cam footage making incredibly

offensive remarks that were both racist and misogynistic. This officer’s behavior is indicative of a

wider issue within EPD that many in our community have been harmed by, including a female

officer who resigned from the department and has since sued for discrimination and sexual

harassment. This history of strained relationships with the Eugene Police Department has eroded

trust with many that it serves. Until there is confidence that EPD can work in true partnership with the community to keep all people safe, Pride cannot ask our community to place its safety in a

system they do not trust.

As a result of these ongoing challenges, march and rally organizers are not moving forward

with a permitted march to the Lane Events Center.

Due to these barriers and our limited capacity to navigate these circumstances as a small, unpaid team of organizers, the decision has been made to cancel this event, return the grant money to the City of Eugene and focus our efforts on keeping the 13,000+ attendees, entertainers, exhibitors, artists and others safe at the Lane Events Center. Adversity has never stopped our community from coming together and we understand that an unaffiliated march may still be organized. If that happens, we will help get that information to the community and be there with you.

While the city provided a $4,500 grant, it is not enough to meaningfully contribute to producing an event on public property without gated entry while an aggressive hate group interferes. Fencing and security alone can cost that amount before we even account for staging, sound, other infrastructure, and the toll on volunteer organizers. These issues are complex, and these systems are not designed to support queer and trans folks. That’s whey we’re focused on creating alternatives within the festival, including how we approach safety and community support.

At the same time, there have been some heroic efforts by individuals and groups within the city including Cultural Services, Parks, Public Works and others to bridge the gap and help with navigation and permitting. That is not unseen, and we appreciate and are grateful for their support and assistance. We have seen what real allyship looks like from some dedicated public servants.

These are the realities of organizing Pride in 2026. Pride events around the country are being

canceled or going bankrupt, and we are grateful to have such robust community support from our

sponsors, vendors, and volunteers. We must prioritize the safety of our community while

remaining in solidarity with the activists, march organizers, and community members who

continue to show up for justice.

Pride is so important, especially now, and especially for queer and trans youth. We look forward to seeing our community fill the Lane Events Center with queer and trans joy, connection, resilience, and the kind of celebration that reminds us why Pride still matters.

Happy Pride!

The Eugene Pride Team