Great Lakes Bay Pride organized a month-long series of events this June, aimed at connecting members of the LGBTQ+ community. The events were scattered throughout the month, but they all shared the same focus: creating spaces where people could show up, be seen, and feel a sense of belonging.
This year's celebrations even reached the City of Midland, with their Pride Night with the Loons. This marks the first year Midland has officially recognized June as Pride Month, emphasizing expanded outreach and support for the LGBTQ+ Community.
“I firmly believe that so long as hate exists, pride will always matter,” regional PFLAG director and advocate Donny Winter says. “I think that pride is important because of the storytelling component. Pride events often have speakers, musicians, vendors, and drag performances, and many of these things tie into various aspects of our history.”
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Mikaila BluewAn attendee poses for a photo with a rainbow umbrella at the Great Lakes Bay Pride FestivalThe final event of the month---the Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival---took place Saturday at the Jolt Credit Union Event Park in downtown Saginaw. It was free to attend, with hundreds of people filling the park throughout the day. Many came with friends and families, waving or wearing pride flags, standing in line for food trucks, listening to music, or just sitting in the grass taking it all in.
The festival ran from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and featured vendors, food trucks, live entertainment, and a craft area for kids. The night wrapped up at the Dow Event Center Red Room with a Drag Show After Party.
“People aren't always represented in spaces, and people aren't always seeing themselves reflected in different institutions or in the government,” executive director of Great Lakes Bay Pride Scott Ellis says. “Having that highlight during Pride Month is really valuable and something that our community still needs. We continue to feel oppression. We have to continue to battle that and stay visible.”
The event served as an opportunity for people to meet others in the community and connect with resources they may not have known were available. In a region where LGBTQ+ individuals may feel isolated or unsupported in their day-to-day lives, these events create access. Access to resources. Access to people who’ve had similar experiences.
“Events like this help normalize being gay and queer,” pride festival volunteer Aya Kirn says. “I just feel way more at home and feel like I don't have to worry about my appearance or what people are thinking. Because I just know everybody is like family, you know? I think that's the real value, and then of course, keeping up the good fight and sticking it to the man.”
Among the vendors were small businesses and local mental health organizations handing out information and making introductions. Support systems were front and center. Alongside retail vendors and performers were mental health providers, advocacy organizations, and community groups offering information and resources. They handed out cards, answered questions, and made connections with people looking for help or just looking to talk.
“Truly, when we look at the big picture, I think events like this are suicide prevention work in action,” Great Lakes Bay Pride volunteer coordinator Katelyn Day says. “People are coming to find resources; they're finding community and they're finding people who accept them wholeheartedly.”
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Mikaila BluewMaddie Lewandowski and Gracie Redmond pose for a photo at the Jolt Credit Union Event Park in SaginawFor some, events like the Pride festival offer more than fun. They are a lifeline. Being able to walk through a public space and feel safe and visible can be meaningful in ways that aren’t always obvious.
“I think just being able to accept and have everyone feel welcomed in a space like this is great,” SVSU student and festival attendee Evan Smock says.
Some people made new friends. Others found someone to talk to. That alone made the day worth it for the organizers at Great Lakes Bay Pride.
“It's important for there to be a safe space for people to be able to go to seek community,” festival attendee Stephan Baird says. "I feel like pride has also become, in this day and age, a point of a peaceful protest for showing who we are as a community that we are together. We will stand for everyone in our community.”
While Pride Month is coming to an end, the organizers stressed that support doesn't.
Great Lakes Bay Pride and organizations like
PFLAG offer year-round services. Services like educational workshops, family support groups, mental health resources, and events that center LGBTQ+ voices continue after the festival.
“Don't be afraid to engage with people and make connections, because that's what it's really about,” Ellis says. “That's why these organizations were formed, building connections with people because they were formed at times when that wasn't being done as openly and publicly as we're doing it today.”
For some, Pride is a chance to reconnect with their identity. For others, it’s a step toward a community after years of silence. For many, it’s a mix of both. The Great Lakes Bay Pride festival and the month’s other events made a space where the LGBTQ+ community feels supported and celebrated.
“Love is still love, human is human, and everybody is still the same,” festival attendee Kierra Pearson.