“What happened in Idaho isn’t taking anything away from how I feel about this weekend in Portland, but it does remind me again why Pride is important. “I still allow myself to be shocked because I don’t want to get used to being threatened,” Porta said. As The Daily Beast reported, Idaho police then received death threats for arresting the men. They had detailed plans and protective gear to “antagonize and cause disorder” at the Coeur d’Alene Pride event, per a court filing reported by CNN. “People don’t realize how often Pride festivities and events are threatened in some way, and so nothing surprises me any more,” Porta told The Daily Beast, referring to the events of last weekend in Idaho, when a group of activists from extremist group Patriot Front were arrested after being discovered inside a U-Haul. She has been involved with Pride Northwest, which oversees the Portland Pride Parade and Festival, taking place this weekend, since 2006, serving as Board President (2007-2015) and since 2017 as Executive Director.
This is not Debra Porta’s first time at the Pride-organizing rodeo.
