Lansing resident and senior organizer of For a Future Raquel Martin-Sanchez helped with the pride event this year and expressed her excitement about the annual celebration.

“The atmosphere feels really good,” Martin-Sanchez said. “I love (seeing families) come in; it makes my heart full.”

Martin-Sanchez also explained her history of coming out to her family and her life ever since, a story she hopes will resonate with others who attended Lansing Pride.

“Just coming out of the closet is a big deal. You don’t know how your family’s going to respond to who you are,” Martin-Sanchez said. “It was a big moment for me, coming out as a lesbian to my family. Part of them accepted (me) and part of them didn’t, but it took time, and it was worth it. Now I’m married and I have my wife and my child, and it’s a beautiful feeling.”

Destiny Walters is a Lansing resident and has been to the Lansing Pride Festival once before. Walters said the main drive of these pride events is that they “reinforce the community.”

“Especially here in Lansing, we have a really big LGBTQ+ community, and so every year around pride, it’s a reminder that, ‘Oh, I’m not by myself, I’m not going through this kind of thing alone,’” Walters said. 

Walters also said it’s neat that vendors can display their small businesses and show they care about the Greater Lansing community. 

“(Pride) helps get parts of the community who aren’t just queer to be involved,” Walters said. “It helps the visibility and remembering that we’re here and there are other people here with us who will put their businesses on the line and show up for us.”

Live performances included two one-hour drag shows, where local drag queens, such as Deliah Poppers, Sapphire Shade and Veronica Scott, performed. The main drag event of the entire Lansing Pride Festival was Loosey LaDuca, who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15.

Between performances, LaDuca spoke to the crowd about the importance of organizing, attending and celebrating pride events. She also joked that she has performed in “Australia, London, New York and now Lansing.”

“Thank you, every single one of you, for coming here and showing your support for our community. It’s so important,” LaDuca said. “It’s a scary world and I’m really happy that you’re all here. I love you all so much.”

Next Saturday, June 29, East Lansing's Pride Festival will take place on Albert Avenue from 5-9 p.m., where there will be a drag show, live music, vendors, art and more.