Feeling safe: LGBTQ+ members express love, support during Pride Night at Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Children smiled.

Adults danced.

And people wearing flamboyant gowns, makeup, and costumes took turns singing their hearts out to kid-friendly songs as the crowd clapped and cheered.

That was Family Pride Night at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, where families and friends of the LGBTQ+ community came together Friday for an evening of fun and to feel loved and supported.

Same-sex couples held hands while walking from one animal exhibit to another.

Many people came dressed in vibrant, bright colors, with some wearing shirts that expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community.

And kids of all ages seemed to be simply having a good time.

“Right now, I feel really accepted and safe,” said Natalia Cole, who attended the event with her twin brother Nicholas. “Here in the Central Valley, I don’t always feel safe sometimes being myself.

“I’m glad that there’s a really strong community in the Central Valley that provides this for us.”

It was that inclusion and safe-space environment that Fresno Chaffee Zoo Director Jon Forrest Dohlin and his staff had sought to provide when the zoo decided to invite the LGBTQ+ members as part of its community outreach program.

“We actively reach out to all the diverse communities,” Dohlin said. “We’ve done Black History Month, Autism Awareness, Pride Month, Dia De Los Muertos, the Lunar New Year for our Asian communities.

“The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is an inclusive organization, really reaching out to encompass all of our community. ... So that everybody gets the message that humans and wildlife can thrive together.”

Aside from the plethora of rainbow flags that represented gay pride, it seemed like a typical visit to the zoo, with the other exception being the drag queen performances that capped off the night.

There were no signs of protesters and folks upset about the event.

In the days leading in, some from the Fresno-area community publicly voiced their displeasure about Family Pride Night at the zoo, including a collection of Fresno pastors and other local church leaders, and at least one local politician.

But there didn’t appear to be any conflict at the zoo on Friday, just a handful of drag queens who sought to energize the sold-out crowd of 2,000 people through music and dance.

“Family-friendly, G-rated performances,” Dohlin said of the drag queen entertainment. “This is an event that’s for that community. If people don’t support that community, they don’t have to come to this event.

“What we’re hoping to do here... is let it be known that everyone is welcome to come here and get inspired about the beautiful wildlife ... and ultimately inspire people to save wildlife.”

Nonetheless, the public backlash was heard by LGBTQ+ members before coming to the event.

And while such comments didn’t surprise them, LGBTQ+ members and their supporters expressed some disappointment.

“Just here out having a good time, here to show support for pride month,” Manuel Ponce said. “A lot of my family members happen to be gay, been around it my whole life. Don’t know anything different.

“I just want to let everybody know that love is love. I don’t understand their way of thinking.”

Added Manuel’s wife, Samantha: “People are people. Love is love. And we all just need to be kind to one another.”