These supporters showed up to the Upper Peninsula Rainbow Pride Festival several years ago in celebration and support of the LGBT community at the Marquette City Commons. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — Pride Fest, hosted by Upper Peninsula Rainbow Pride, is welcoming community members to attend and celebrate from across the U.P. on June 14.

Following National Military Appreciation Month in May and preceding Disability Pride Month in July, Pride Month in June coincides with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Inn Riots, which were a series of queer and trans liberation protests. Upper Peninsula Rainbow Pride, a nonprofit organization based in Marquette, is committed to creating a safe and supportive Upper Peninsula where LGBTQ+ individuals feel comfortable living as their authentic selves. Their annual PrideFest celebration at Ellwood A. Mattson’s Lower Harbor Park serves as an extension of that mission.

This year, PrideFest will offer a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy, such as lawn games, arts and crafts, SINGO (or playing bingo by guessing the song), 80 vendors, resource tables, food and drink, live musical performances, and two drag shows. The Open Stage Drag Show at 2:30 p.m. is family-friendly, and those interested in performing can still sign up to do so. The Drag Show at 8 p.m. comes with a parental advisory warning, and alcohol will be served beginning at 5 p.m.

“Beatrix are very excited to play the 2025 PrideFest in Marquette, Michigan. We have played the event in years past and always have a great time on stage and in the audience,” said the band, who are based locally in Marquette and will be performing at this year’s event, in an email to the Mining Journal. “The vibes there are immaculate and the entertainment is top-notch; even if the weather doesn’t cooperate there’s always someone there to entertain, to put a smile on your face and to ask if you need any body glitter. If you haven’t been to Marquette’s pride celebration yet, (we) highly recommend coming this year, (because) you won’t regret it. Be Gay!”

While PrideFest is U.P. Rainbow Pride’s biggest event that they put on each year, Lex Exworthy, the Chair for U.P. Rainbow Pride’s Board of Directors, mentioned how they have a variety of events year-round, such as clothing swaps, arts and crafts events, and community potlucks.

“We have added events year round free, open to the public, intergenerational events. We (have) kids all the way up to old folks at almost all of our events,” Exworthy commented. “We’re very proud of that, and we’d love to see more people.”

In addition to having more fun-focused events in the community, Exworthy explained how the organization also works to provide safe spaces and bridge gaps in access to community resources. They said that U.P. Rainbow Pride doesn’t just collaborate with LGBTQ+ organizations like Equality Michigan, but also works with other groups that serve the wider population, such as healthcare organizations, mental health professionals, and the Women’s Center. Additional LGBTQ-friendly resources in the Upper Peninsula can be found online at uprainbowpride.org/findsupport.

“(We’re) focusing specifically on healthcare access, economic and educational support, and then just general community engagement, mak(ing) sure that people know that there are resources for them,” said Exworthy. “In our dreams, when we have paid staff and space, we’ve got to offer more direct services than just the nebulousness of safer spaces, but that’s the kind of thing that people keep asking for. Anytime I talk to people, anytime we do a survey, it’s like, ‘I just want more places where I feel safe being me, where I don’t feel alone and people like myself (don’t feel alone).'”

With the American Civil Liberties Union currently tracking 588 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States as of this article’s publication, building on that mission of creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ folks is part of what U.P. Rainbow Pride aims to do so with their annual PrideFest celebration. In the wake of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, Exworthy said the continued visibility of queer and transgender people is part of the push back against that kind of legislation.

“Part of it is (that) the fighting back is necessary, the continued presence, our continued presence and my continued presence in this community is necessary to help more of us survive this. We always will push through. Queer and trans people have existed forever and various political climates have tried to push us into the closet over and over again through the past and we’ll always push out,” Exworthy declared. “So that part is really important. A lot of people are afraid and isolated, especially up here, and we want to make sure that they don’t feel alone, that they know that they can reach out and find somebody and that we are continuing. But the other part is the joy. The celebration of joy is resistance and it really is an important part of everyone’s lives, and so we need to also prioritize finding those moments of joy and celebration.”

PrideFest is free to attend and open to anyone, even if you’re not part of the LGBTQ+ community. They are also currently looking for volunteers to help out during the event, where each volunteer can sign up for approximately two hours to lend a hand with vendor check-in, taking tips for drag performers during the shows, or manning the arts and activities tent in addition to other opportunities. Those interested in volunteering can sign up online at uprainbowpride.org/event-details/pride-fest-2025. Volunteers will also get a free tee shirt and water bottle for helping out.

“This will be my second year doing PrideFest, with hopefully more years to come. As a drag performer, I’ve always felt as (if) I was carrying on a legacy put in place by our LBGTQ elders, who in their time were so disgraced by society. Despite our community’s current challenges, drag continues to be an outlet for my own non-conforming gender expression and the chance to be a star, even in a small town,” Apollo Groove, a local drag king and performer at this year’s PrideFest, said in a message to The Mining Journal. “I hope this year’s attendees can be reminded that Marquette is a welcoming and friendly space for LBGTQ and all other walks of life. I hope they eat, drink, be merry, and watch the stunning local performances that take such love and care to prepare. Ultimately, I want everyone to have a fabulous time, as they should.”

PrideFest will take place from noon to 10:30 p.m. on June 14, at Ellwood A. Mattson Lower Harbor Park, located at 200 N. Lakeshore Boulevard in Marquette. For more information about PrideFest details or U.P. Rainbow Pride, visit its website at uprainbowpride.org.

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.