GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Hundreds of people flooding the lakeside streets of Grand Haven on June 10 to celebrate the city's first-ever LGBTQ Pride Festival — a turnout that left organizers like Grand Haven Pride Co-Chair Jessica Robinson speechless.
"It's so hard for me to even put into words how incredible this has been," Robinson said.
As organizers had planned for the possibility of protests and opposition that largely failed to materialize on Saturday, the support shown was beyond anything Robinson expected.
"We did not anticipate such a huge, huge, huge turnout," Robinson said. "So, we're just overwhelmed with joy and happiness and so excited for Grand Haven and West Michigan and the progress we're making."
The large presence resonated with many who came out in support of the LGBTQ community.
Jamie Leyerle and Brian DeRey from the Detroit area traveled to Grand Haven for Pride while staying in nearby Saugatuck.
DeRey, who grew up in Detroit, remembered what Pride was like for him just three decades ago when events were small and secluded in the interest of safety.
"The 1990s were different time and thankfully, we're not in the 1990s anymore and it's the present day and we could celebrate openly with our friends and family," DeRey said.
For them, the large presence in Grand Haven for a first-of-its-kind Pride event was a testament to the progress Michigan has made toward acceptance.
"It's really amazing how the normalization of queer people around the world has really made something like this inevitable — even in a place that's doing it for the first time in 2023," Leyerle said.
Robinson said it's a feeling she hopes many in this city seeing Pride for the first time will be able to take with them into their everyday lives.
"What I really hope that people get out of today is just a sense of love and acceptance and compassion and empathy for one another," Robinson said. "We are all different. We all bring something different to the table, and that's what makes us all so great."
With the outpouring of support they've received, Robinson said the city can expect plenty more where this came from in the future.
"We'll be back and we'll be even bigger," Robinson said.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.