Where does the time go? Can you believe it’s Pride month already? And not a moment too soon! With the awful headlines confronting us, daily, we could all use some good news…and some Pride!

We begin our Outword Pride journey this May (in advance of June’s Pride Month) with some mayoral words of wisdom from Darrell Steinberg, on page three, followed by information about an upcoming Pride Ride, on page seven, and then an article on page nine about Golden Rule Services’ 22 years of service to Sacramento — now that’s something to be proud of!

Don’t miss Matt Burlingame’s wonderful essay on the “History of Queer Symbolism” on pages 10 and 11 and his regular “Out & About” column on page 24, with all kinds of suggestions to entertain and uplift you this Pride season.

Since Pride is about activism as well as celebration, this 60-page issue also includes several of Chris Allan’s terrific photos from the recent “Bans Off Our Bodies” event at our State Capitol, on page 12, as well as information about an upcoming local art exhibit in support of passing the ERA, on page 14.

Also on page 14, you can learn how to send your “boo” a Pride bouquet, and we begin our coverage of Sac Pride’s upcoming festivities with a colorful overview on page 26. The actual Pride Guide, however, begins on page 49 with three stunning pages of invaluable details on this year’s Sac Pride March and two-day Pride Festival, happening on June 11th & 12th.

Elsewhere in this packed Pride Issue — the first of three consecutive Outword Pride editions — you can read about all the fun things to do this Pride season, including June’s Davis Pride Festival, on page 21, and queer movies back on the big screen, plus a local dance performance in celebration of Pride, on pages 34 and 52, respectively.

Chris Narloch also chimes in with a slew of fun things to do this Pride season, including watching the reimagined version of “Queer as Folk” on Peacock, on page 52, and another new, not-to-be-missed queer show, Hulu’s “Fire Island,” on page 40.

And finally, don’t forget to show some love to the many businesses who advertised in this issue and who support our queer community during Pride and beyond.

Have a Happy Pride, one and all!