Jenn Cameron co-founded UpNorth Pride in 2014. That year, Jenn says, 300 people came out for the parade. The next year, 1,200. Last year, Jenn says there were 3,000 people there.
"Oh my God," Jenn thought at the time. "We’re all in this together. All of these people. This is our community."
The fourth annual UpNorth Pride Rally and Visibility March is this Sunday, June 25. Jenn expects to see the largest crowd yet for the event.
Jenn says, while the Pride festival builds community and shows the LGBTQ community that they're not alone, "Pride's not enough."
Jenn says the LGBTQ community needs more year-round, direct services.
Robyn Di Giacinto is a graduate assistant at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She came to Interlochen in June for the Transom Traveling Workshop taught by Rob Rosenthal.