MUSKEGON, Mich. — June marks the official start of Pride month, celebrating and supporting those in the LGBTQ+ community. In West Michigan, a number of events have been held this weekend, including gatherings in places like Lowell and Kalamazoo.
In Muskegon, the city held its second annual Pride Festival downtown with people of all ages showing up. The celebration embraced the LGBTQ+ community and being proud of who you are.
“It's so important to celebrate it because not everybody gets to be themselves,” said organizer Jeffrey Pienela.
Thousands of people came out Saturday for the festival. The entertainment was endless with a drag show, children's hour, live DJs and even free hugs.
People were able to celebrate pride in their own backyard, something many attendees say they weren’t always necessarily able to do in Muskegon.
“It makes me feel good because I normally travel to Chicago or somewhere and go to pride festivals over there, and to have one in our hometown, I love it,” said Kriste Williams.
The festival was a symbol of progress. But some say, there's still more that needs to be done.
“We have to have pride so that we have visibility, specifically for more policies in government,” explained Chelsea Kelley.
You can find a pride calendar filled with activities for the entire month of June on Muskegon Pride’s Facebook page, here.
