They say it’s the unlikely people who meet. An art historian and a psychiatrist certainly fit the bill. When Dr. Virginia Solomon and Dr. Sean Udell connected as the Park City LGBTQ+ Task Force formed in 2020, “we bonded over our love of building community and doing whatever it takes,” Sean recalls. The pair now lead Summit Pride, which emerged from that early Task Force.
Virginia’s family began vacationing in Park City in the ’80s before they moved here full time in 2019. “At first it was the outdoors, but what’s made it a forever place for me is the people,” they said.
As Summit Pride prepared its first large-scale event last June, Virginia recalls their relief at the depth of local support. “I was hoping people would show up,” they said. “People kept coming, maybe 150. It showed Park City cares about what’s right.”
Virginia teaches art history at the University of Utah Honors College and co-owns Park City Yoga Collective with wife Jenn. A former D1 lacrosse champion at Maryland, they joke, “I almost have the athletic credibility to live here,” adding, “I love mountain biking and dogs.”
Sean turned to psychiatry during medical training in Philadelphia after witnessing the youth metal health crisis firsthand as a Denver middle school teacher. Today at Intermountain Health’s Park City Psychiatry and Counseling Clinic, “I help people come out of some of the hardest moments of their lives,” he says. “I’m grateful patients trust me.”
Sean has fond childhood memories of Park City, spending months here each year. “It was liberating to take the free bus or ride my bike everywhere,” he recalls. Now living here with his husband, “I live to ski—I get in 50 days a season.”
Together, Virginia and Sean advocate for inclusiveness and freedom. “I’ve lived in vibrant queer communities my whole life,” Virginia says. “People want their queer friends and neighbors to know everyone is welcome here.” Sean agrees: “I feel lucky to live in Park City and be part of this wonderful community.” Make sure to keep an out for Winter Pride 2026!