For Carson Tueller, going to a Pride festival — whether in his home state of Utah or elsewhere in the country — is a big declaration of who he is.
“It’s like a reclamation of worth,” said Tueller, 29, a board member of Affirmation, a group that tries to provide a bridge for LGBTQ people who grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Historically, LGBTQ people get the message that there’s something wrong with them,” Tueller said. “Pride is, in the face of all that, declaring we’re really perfect the way we are and how we identify.