By Dina Sage | Concordia New Editor
Last year, Javier Puga-Phillips approached the Portland Pride Association (PPA) with a fresh idea – hosting an official Portland Pride event right here in Concordia. PPA, who has been running the waterfront event since 1975 and who hosts satellite events in other neighborhoods, was amenable. “I told them that pride is about making people welcome right where they live,” says Javier, a realtor who moved to Concordia from West Hollywood, California in 2020 with his husband.
After getting permission, Javier began planning the party and connected with Take Two General Manager Dennis Lindsey to reestablish the Concordia Neighborhood Pride Association, an organization that hasn’t been active since two years ago when Javier was the Chair of the CNA Social Committee.
The event is slated for Sunday July 19th and will take place at Concordia Commons after the Portland Pride Parade Downtown. The city of Portland has also agreed to shut down traffic on the adjacent block between NE Emerson and Killingsworth for the event. Drag performers, DJs and dancers will be performing at the party and Javier himself will be emceeing alongside cohost Meesha Peru. Ms. Peru is one of Portland’s most celebrated drag queens, a former Miss International and the city’s first Miss Gay Latino. There will be drinks from Take Two who recently announced its upcoming closure, and food from both Gabiano’s and Gabi’s. There will also be booths representing LGBTQ+ organizations and other community resources.
One such resource is Educate Ya, a Portland-based non-profit organization geared towards helping Hispanics and Latinos with cultural integration through bilingual health, leadership and education programs. In organizing the event, it is important to Javier to be able to support both gay and Latino communities. “I know a little something about those things,” says Javier, who was born in Mexico. Javier sits on the board of Educate Ya and 5% of the money that the event makes will be going to support it.
Why should you attend? Javier says, “Pride celebration should be about connecting with community and raising our voices. We are not a community that is going to step down; we’re going to step up, be loud and we want to be seen. Concordia’s 2026 Pride celebration is a way to support queer Latinos in the community who are in need of help. It is at the heart of Concordia. NE Pride started right here.” Learn more at tinyurl.com/2599h8ts.
Dina Sage loves engaging in the arts and being outdoors. She has been in Portland since 2011 and lives with her husband, daughter and their pets.