KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A local LGBTQ+ community center says that there will be no large in-person events scheduled this year in Kalamazoo for Pride Month this June.
OutFront Kalamazoo says given ongoing COVID-19 safety concerns, a virtual awards ceremony will replace Kalamazoo Pride on Friday, June 11, and other online events will be scheduled in June as well.
“Despite the increase in the availability of vaccines, there are still many uncertainties that come with hosting a large-scale, in-person event,” said Amy Hunter, Executive Director of OutFront Kalamazoo. “We polled the community and reviewed guidance from health officials, and it was clear that June was simply too soon for an event as large as Kalamazoo Pride. When we gather again as a community, we will do it without putting the community’s health at risk.”
They say that while COVID-19 has caused the cancellation of Kalamazoo Pride for the second year, it has also inspired the creation of two events that will serve to celebrate and activate the local LGBTQ+ community and its allies in 2021.
The first will be the #AlwaysOUTFront Awards, an event designed to give the community an opportunity to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the work of LGBTQ+ equality, social justice, and the advancement of OutFront’s mission. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on June 11th on Facebook Live.
The second will be the Rally for Equality, a new one-day outdoor event that will give the LGBTQ+ community and its allies the first opportunity this year to come together in-person to raise our visibility and rally our community around unfinished work of LGBTQ+ equity. The gathering is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 2021. Details will be announced in April.
It is expected that Kalamazoo Pride will return in June 2022.
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