How Minnesota has led the way for rural community pride events despite pushback
How Minnesota has led the way for rural community pride events despite pushback
Itasca Pride in Grand Rapids will be hosting its first ever pride event this weekend. A vocal minority has voiced opposition, but pride organizers say that isn’t new and they hope to provide representation for rural queer Minnesotans.
Many rural pride events in Minnesota have at some point faced pushback, or even threats. Over the weekend Cook County Pride in Grand Marais received a bomb threat.
Meanwhile, Itasca Pride in Grand Rapids is also facing pushback as they get ready for their first ever celebration this weekend. But despite that, rural pride events are still successful in Minnesota.
East Central Pride in Pine City, claims to be the first rural pride in the country, and celebrated with its 19th annual event at the beginning of June.
For the first two years of East Central Pride, chair Aaron Bombard said they more or less flew under the radar. Then in the third year, the community realized it was here to stay and there was some opposition.
“They had a pro-family picnic where they had Christian music groups kind of trying to oppose us,” Bombard said. “I kind of laugh at the idea — as if LGBT pride is not pro-family.”