“This is my first time taking a public stand at the march,” she said. “I’m pretty excited.”

This year’s Michigan Pride — an annual event that takes place in June in cities across the state and U.S. to celebrate LGBT Pride Month — included a parade and march to the Capitol, a mass commitment ceremony, a rally with speakers including Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, and the Diversity Festival with country singer and parade Grand Marshal Chely Wright.

Monique Goch, outreach director for the 2010 Michigan Pride Board, said there were more than 10,000 people at the events and the float participation increased from one float last year to this year’s 20.

“It’s great to encourage people to be themselves, to come out and celebrate who they are,” Bernero said following a speech on the Capitol steps. “One of the reasons for this is to fight discrimination, to make it clear that allies of the community are out there.”

This year’s events were intended to reiterate the LGBT population’s connection to the Lansing community by switching the festival’s venue to Lansing’s Old Town, which revitalized the organization’s momentum, Goch said.

“We felt like we’d lost ties with our community and our allies,” she said. “The goal this year was about participation and becoming one again and being together instead of having all of these separate parties.”

The anticipation

Rainbow flags, umbrellas, T-shirts and socks adorned the onlookers sitting along the parade route as groups lined up floats and snapped photos of their costumes.

Kate Miller, a public administration and public policy senior at MSU, is president of People Respecting Individuality Diversity and Equality, a student group at MSU, and marched with the Lansing Association for Human Rights.

“We don’t have money from Michigan State after the spring semester,” she said. “But a lot of MSU students are participating in other groups.”

This was Miller’s first year taking part in the weekend events.

“I’ve spent so much time in East Lansing as part of the queer community, but I’ve never been in the (Michigan) Pride parade,” she said. “Mostly, I’m just excited that I get to take part in something so great.”

Jeff Franckowiak, a counseling graduate student, rode in a truck pulling the combined Michigan Pride and Michigan Equality float.

“We lose a chunk of the younger (MSU LGBT) community, but I know a bunch who come back for the event,” he said. “I know we have a lot of representation in the march.”

Although Franckowiak said he enjoyed the event and community support, he is aware of the greater issues at stake.

“It’s a great time, but it’s advocating for equality,” he said.

The declaration

The crowd cheered as Wright performed a song after the march to the Capitol steps, and Bernero commended the singer’s decision to join the festivities.

Wright said she came out as a gay woman five weeks ago after hiding her sexuality for her entire career.

“I’m as happy to be here as they are to have me here, because every person that I meet reaffirms to me that I’m still learning how not alone I am,” she said.

Coming out meant she could initiate new views and discussion in the country community, where she was without precedence, Wright said.

“The response from the gay community has been incredible; the response from the country music community has been mixed,” she said.

Bernero, who said he has made a priority to be at the rally for his entire mayoral appointment, encouraged the community to be open about who they are and said his late brother was an example of someone who was honest about being gay.

“You’ve got people that are hiding,” he said. “You’ve got people that aren’t themselves — that will never really be all that they can be — until they’re open and honest.”

The events also were good for business in downtown Lansing, Bernero said.

“I’m proud to have this in the city of Lansing,” he said. “We’re an inclusive community, and we want to promote equality.”

The celebration

Hundreds of people shifted to Burchard Park, on the corner of Turner Street and E. Grand River Ave., in Lansing’s Old Town, for the festival Saturday, which acts as a fundraiser for next year’s events. About 100 vendors sold food and sponsors offered merchandise at the festival.

Attendees crowded around the main stage where Wright gave an afternoon performance and other groups, such as drag performance troupe Drag King Rebellion, provided entertainment.

“This is my first (Michigan) Pride rally,” Wright said. “This has been an amazing experience.”

Goch said she gives credit to her girlfriend, who loves country music, for following Wright’s journey and asking her to be part of the celebration.

“(When Wright came out) in early May, we had one of our singing groups fall out,” Goch said.

“It was late in the game.”

Wright’s manager told of her of the opportunity to be grand marshal and Wright said she was immediately sold.

“Michigan feels so much like home,” she said. “I’m a Kansas girl originally and I thought it sounded like a whole lot of fun.”

More than 130 sponsors supported the weekend events and backed up the decision to include Wright.
“We started receiving donations right away,” Goch said.

Goch said Saturday allowed the sponsors and vendors to partner with the LGBT community and become a unified group.

“(Michigan Pride is) our chance and opportunity to make a statement about not discriminating and equal rights for the state of Michigan,” she said.

“It was really, really important that we reorganize and show the band of commitment between our organizations.”