Kyrene Sehorn/Courtesy photo
BY KELLY DOLEJSI
Friends of Los Alamos Pride
It’s time to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride! This year marks the sixth Los Alamos Pride Week, June 11-17, and the fourth in-person Pride Festival from 3-7 p.m. Friday June 16, on the lawn at Central Park Square (adjacent to Boese Bros and the Y Express). As Pride Week approaches, Friends of Los Alamos Pride would like to introduce its board members — the heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears behind all the county’s Pride festivities. Today, we would like you to meet Kyrene Sehorn.
Who are you?
I’m Kyrene Sehorn — some might remember me as Breanna, but I started going by my middle name in college. You might know me from a number of places — having grown up in Los Alamos, I know lots of people that I don’t even remember how I know them. I was the marketing coordinator at Fuller Lodge Art Center for two years. I now work at the UNM Health Sciences Center as a program coordinator/research specialist in Albuquerque, but since I work remotely more than half the time, much of my time is still spent in Los Alamos.
Why did you join FLAP?
I formally joined FLAP in 2019, after being involved in small ways while still in college. I joined FLAP because I’ve always been passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, and I thought it was so incredibly important and exciting that there was an organization in Los Alamos.
Why is Pride important to you, to Los Alamos, and to the broader community?
Pride is important to me for a multitude of reasons, but primarily because so many of the people I love the most in my life are part of the LGBTQ+ community. I think Pride is so important in Los Alamos because it is easy to get complacent when there isn’t a bunch of clear-cut or blatant bigotry — when it’s all little things here and there, it’s too easy to sweep under the rug. For the broader community, Pride is vital for protecting LQBTQ+ people and ensuring that our rights are not being taken away. Beyond that, Pride is so important to EVERYONE because it encourages true self-love and expression, which is somethingI feel everyone can benefit from.
Why is Pride important right now, at this point in history?
At this point in history, I think you can just look at the news or at legislation in over half the states in the U.S. to see why Pride is important. I think many people had the impression when gay marriage was legalized that the fight was over, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Anti-LGBTQ+, and especially anti-trans, sentiment is unfortunately on the rise. We need Pride nowmore than ever to fight back and create spaces where our community can be safe.
What Pride event are you most looking forward to?
I am excited for the many great events we have this year. I’ve always love Pride on the Patio, hosted by Pig + Fig, which will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 15. at 6 p.m. There is also going to be another Pride on the Patio event at the Co-Op at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 10. I am probably most excited to see how our underpass mural turns out this year. We hope to see as many people as we did last year to contribute a handprint on Tuesday, June 13. Unfortunately, I will only be able to go to our main festival on June 16, as I will be getting married the week before and away on my honeymoon. Thus, I am hoping the Los Alamos community will all turn out and enjoy all the great events for me. Thank you to the Los Alamos community for the support over the years, be it through showing up to events, messages or support, or free PR through the rock painting and other shenanigans.