Grosse Pointe Hosts 3rd Annual Pride March June 22

Welcoming Everyone Grosse Pointe, also known as We GP, will host the third annual Grosse Pointe Pride March on Saturday, June 22, starting at 9:30 a.m., in conjunction with National Pride month and hundreds of cities across the nation hosting their own marches and events. The objective is to raise awareness and show support for the LGTBQ community within Grosse Pointe as well as those who are considering the area for shopping, dining, recreation and living.
Attendees are invited to start gathering for the family friendly march at 9:30 a.m. in the Grosse Pointe South High School "J" parking lot along Fisher Road and will proceed along Kercheval Avenue to Maire Elementary School. Before the march begins, Pride merchandise will be available for purchase and family friendly activities will be offered, including face painting. The march will start at 10 a.m. and will conclude with a brief rally in the Maire Elementary School parking lot at 11 a.m., which will feature food trucks, a performance by a community choir, a peace meditation and other vendors and activities. New to this year's March will be a Pride-themed float, a performance by Grosse Pointe South 2011 graduate Sierra Misst, an organized military presence to recognize the LGTBQ community's contribution to our armed forces, and the group Free Mom Hugs will be in attendance.
The Grosse Pointe Pride March has quickly become a popular event in the community, with more than 1,000 community members and families attending annually to march, gather and show support for their friends and neighbors.
"Grosse Pointe Pride is an opportunity to show what a truly welcoming and inclusive community Grosse Pointe is, and we have a lot of fun while doing it," said Andrea Joy, We GP LGTBQ+ Task Force leader. "It's also a great time to speak with kids about accepting and supporting different kind of families and people. There is a gay agenda; it's to be proud to be your unique self!"
A portion of the proceeds from this year's event will benefit Outserve-SLDN, which provides legal services for LGBTQ service members. Its mission is to educate the community, provide legal services, advocate for authentic transgender service, provide developmental opportunities, support members and local chapters, communicate effectively, and work towards equality for all.
"We felt it was important to recognize the contribution LGBTQ service-members have made and will continue to make to our armed forces," said Shannon Byrne, We GP President. "With the Trump administration transgender military service ban in place, it is more critical than ever to give our support to organizations such as Outserve-SLDN, which advocate for our LGBTQ service-members. We believe everyone should be allowed to serve with dignity."
Attendees are encouraged to continue their Pride celebrations at other local Pride festivals
The Grosse Pointe Pride March boasts 37 sponsors this year. Gold level sponsors include: O'Flaherty's, the 1000 block of Balfour, Blair Hess & Derek Latka, Park Grill, Posterity Framing & Printing, Fishbones, Fisher Pointe Dental, the Byrne/Simon family and Steiner Printing.
Find out more about the event online at we-gp.org.