Grand Rapids Pride Center

We have extended our Prism Nominations form - you have even MORE time to nominate individuals and small businesses/nonprofits who are dedicated to serving and supporting 2-SLGBTQ+ folks in West Michigan! Tell us why they are Queer of the Year, an Agitator, a GRPC Loyalist, or have a Not-So-Small Impact by September 6th, 2024 at 12PM. Whatcha waiting for? Know someone who deserves their flowers? You can submit your nominations at https://lnkd.in/g5iVWe6M. Please do not nominate the same person or group for more than one category, but DO feel free to nominate someone or a group for each category! Finalists will be selected by a committee of 2-SLGBTQ+ peers from the West Michigan community and provided with a free ticket for themselves to attend the Prism Awards. The 3rd annual Prism Awards takes place on October 3rd, 2024 at 4100 Thousand Oaks Dr., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49525. Tickets are available at https://lnkd.in/geb_P54e! [Image Description: The graphic is titled "Prism Nominations" in rainbow text, with the Prism Awards logo as the dot on the "i." The subtext reads the award categories; "Group: Not-So-Small Impact, Individual: Queer of the Year, Individual: Loyalist, Individual: Agitator." A purple and blue star reads, "nominations EXTENDED!" Pictured is a photo of 2023 award winner birdie duka-tutambe and Executive Director Jazz McKinney.]

We have another Health Equity in Action (HEA) event coming up this week! HEA takes place monthly on the 4th Thursday of each month. This Thursday, we are covering what to expect, and what they forget to tell you about when transitioning. Violet Hiltunen, Ollie Robison (GR Pride Center), Ximón Kittok (GR Trans Foundation), and therapist Victoria Fisher will be our panel tonight on the topic, make sure you join us from 5:45PM-6:30PM - you won’t want to miss it! We’ll also have Cherry Health Americorps Cam’Ryn Robinson from 4:00PM-7:00PM, who will be offering Medicaid and SNAP enrollment and support. Kent County Health Department will be joining as well for STI testing from 4:30PM-6:30PM. Masks are highly encouraged and appreciated for this event! As always, our pantries will be open, dinner will be provided, and Fern the Support Pug will be around. See you this Thursday at our homebase (343 Atlas Ave SE)!

You've STILL got time to nominate individuals and groups who are dedicated to serving and supporting 2-SLGBTQ+ folks in West Michigan. We are hosting our 3rd annual Prism Awards on October 3rd, an opportunity to celebrate and showcase our community's collective impact! You can submit your nominations at https://lnkd.in/g5iVWe6M. Please do not nominate the same person or group for more than one category, but DO feel free to nominate someone or a group for each category! Last year's winners are NOT eligible to win the same award again, but can be nominated for others. Finalists will be selected by a committee of 2-SLGBTQ+ peers from the West Michigan community. Finalists will be notified by Friday, August 30th and be provided with a free ticket for themselves to attend the Prism Awards. The 3rd annual Prism Awards takes place on October 3rd, 2024 at 4100 Thousand Oaks Dr., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49525. Tickets are available at https://lnkd.in/geb_P54e! [Image Description: The graphic is titled "Prism Nominations" in rainbow text, with the Prism Awards logo as the dot on the "i." The subtext reads the award categories; "Group: Not-So-Small Impact, Individual: Queer of the Year, Individual: Loyalist, Individual: Agitator." On a green and yellow star shape reads, "tickets on sale NOW!" Pictured is a photo of 2023 award winners birdie duka-tutambe, Ximon Kittok, and Nikita Miner.]

Coming to QTPOC da Block tomorrow? We will be giving away a couple of free tickets to tomorrow's Glitz and Giggles, starring Alyssa Edwards, thanks to GLC Live at 20 Monroe! Come hang out with us during the day, and end your night off downtown with local and national drag icons! Enter our raffle at the event by 5PM for your chance to win. We'll see you there! "Alyssa Edwards stars in Glitz and Giggles! Join RuPaul's Drag Race's + RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars icon, Alyssa Edwards for an evening of sickening looks, laughs, and fun. Alyssa will perform a gag worthy opening and closing number and delight the audience with original comedy and storytelling. Get ready for Glitz and Giggles! Alyssa will be supported by a fantastic cast of local entertainers: Lucy Stoole (host), Alex Suarez, Gabriella Stratton Galore, and Caj Monet. The entire show is approximately two hours. Bring your dollars to tip the queens! All ages welcome! Doors open 7:00pm, show begins 8:00pm." You can also snag tickets at flipphoneevents.com/alyssa [Image description: The graphic is titled "Alyssa Edwards Glitz & Giggles Tour," with large a picture of Alyssa Edwards on the top half. Lucy Stoole, Alex Suarez, Gabriella Stratton Galore, and Caj Monet are also featured in the graphic, as well as a link to the tickets, listed above in the description. On the bottom right corner are further details of the event, "Saturday, August 17th, 8PM. GLC Live, 11 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI."]

Have you gotten your nominees in? The Grand Rapids Pride Center invites the Greater Grand Rapids community to nominate individuals and groups who are dedicated to serving and supporting 2-SLGBTQ+ folks in West Michigan. We are hosting our 3rd annual Prism Awards on October 3rd, an opportunity to celebrate and showcase our community's collective impact! You can submit your nominations at https://lnkd.in/g5iVWe6M. Please do not nominate the same person or group for more than one category, but DO feel free to nominate someone or a group for each category! Last year's winners are NOT eligible to win the same award again, but can be nominated for others. Nominations are due by 11:59PM on Friday, August 16th. Finalists will be selected by a committee of 2-SLGBTQ+ peers from the West Michigan community. Finalists will be notified by Friday, August 30th and be provided with a free ticket for themselves to attend the Prism Awards. The 3rd annual Prism Awards takes place on October 3rd, 2024 at 4100 Thousand Oaks Dr., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49525. Tickets are available at https://lnkd.in/geb_P54e! [Image Description: Graphic 1 is titled "Prism Awards '24" in rainbow text, with the Prism Awards logo as the dot on the "i." It lists the date, time and location of the awards ceremony. Pictured in the center is DeeDee Chaunte, performer of the 2023 Prism Awards ceremony. Graphic 2 is titled "Prism Nominations" with the same color story and logo placement as the previous graphic. The subtext reads the award categories; "Group: Not-So-Small Impact, Individual: Queer of the Year, Individual: Loyalist, Individual: Agitator." On a green and yellow star shape reads, "tickets on sale NOW!" Pictured is a photo of 2023 award winners birdie duka-tutambe, Ximon Kittok, and Nikita Miner.]

We're still accepting vendors for QTPOC da Block this weekend! Click the link in our bio to snag your spot while we've got some left! The Grand Rapids Pride Center BIPOC Pride committee is bringing back the second iteration of QTPOC da Block, an all ages and cook-out style community function centering chosen family, joy, and music for all BIPOC, 2-SLGBTQ+ folks. QTPOC da Block takes place on Saturday, August 17th. This year, our theme is centered around Black August, a month-long awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals, and political prisoners, both living and deceased. We look forward to gathering in celebration of one another, our ancestors, and with our future liberation in mind. QTPOC da Block is an open-house style event! You can drop by anytime between the hours of 2PM - 8PM. We’ll have vendors, food, games, resources, performances and more throughout the day. This all takes place at the Grand Rapids Pride Center at 343 Atlas Ave SE, and the majority of the block of Atlas Avenue. This event is FREE, so bring a loved one and come party! This is a closed event, meaning we ask that our allies in the community find other ways to support at this time to allow QTPOC (queer and trans people of color) to hold space with one another intentionally. [Image description: The top of the graphic reads "still accepting vendors!" and centers three, side-by-side, distorted photos of BIPOC community members from various Grand Rapids Pride Center events, where the title "QTPOC da Block" is written above and below the images. The rest of the image stages the details of the event, listed above in the accompanying description.]

The Grand Rapids Pride Center BIPOC Pride committee is bringing back the second iteration of QTPOC da Block, an all ages and cook-out style community function centering chosen family, joy, and music for all BIPOC, 2-SLGBTQ+ folks. QTPOC da Block takes place on Saturday, August 17th. This year, our theme is centered around Black August, a month-long awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals, and political prisoners, both living and deceased. We look forward to gathering in celebration of one another, our ancestors, and with our future liberation in mind. QTPOC da Block is an open-house style event! You can drop by anytime between the hours of 2PM - 8PM. We’ll have vendors, food, games, resources, performances and more throughout the day. This all takes place at the Grand Rapids Pride Center at 343 Atlas Ave SE, and the majority of the block of Atlas Avenue. This event is FREE, so bring a loved one and come party! This is a closed event, meaning we ask that our allies in the community find other ways to support at this time to allow QTPOC (queer and trans people of color) to hold space with one another intentionally. [Image description: The graphic centers three, side-by-side, distorted photos of BIPOC community members from various Grand Rapids Pride Center events, where the title "QTPOC da Block" is written above and below the images. The rest of the image stages the details of the event, listed above in the accompanying description.]

The Grand Rapids Pride Center invites the Greater Grand Rapids community to nominate individuals and groups who are dedicated to serving and supporting the 2-SLGBTQ+ in West Michigan. We are hosting our 3rd annual Prism Awards on October 3rd - an opportunity to celebrate and showcase our community's collective impact. Please do not nominate the same person or group for more than one category, but DO feel free to nominate someone or a group for each category! Last year's winners are NOT eligible to win the same award again, but can be nominated for others. Nominations are due by 11:59PM on Friday, August 16th. Finalists will be selected by a committee of 2-SLGBTQ+ peers from the West Michigan community. Finalists will be notified by Friday, August 30th and be provided with a free ticket for themselves to attend the Prism Awards. The 3rd annual Prism Awards takes place on October 3rd, 2024 at 4100 Thousand Oaks Dr., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525. Tickets are available at https://lnkd.in/geb_P54e [Image Description: The main graphic is titled "Prism Nominations," in rainbow text, with the Prism Awards logo as the dot on the "i" in "Prism." The subtext reads the award categories; "group: Not-So-Small Impact, individual: Queer of the Year, individual: Loyalist, individual: agitator." On a green and yellow star shape reads, "tickets on sale NOW!" Pictured is a photo of 2023 award winners birdie duka-tutambe, Ximon Kittok, and Nikita Miner. Image 2 reads, "Agitator: As a seeker of justice, this individual is continually fighting against systems of oppression to make West Michigan a more inclusive and welcoming place. 2023 Winner: Nikita Miner, 2022 Winner: Sam Przyblyski." Image 3 reads, "Loyalist: A loyal Grand Rapids Pride Center volunteer (including facilitators and board members) who goes above and beyond to serve without hesitation. 2023 Winner: Lucy Dyer-Joswick, 2022 Winner: Adrienne Brown-Reasner." Image 4 reads, "Queer of the Year: This individual both embodies the spirit of positive, sustainable change and demonstrates an unwavering commitment to dismantling systems of oppression. Through their dedication, they have become a beacon of inspiration within the community, exemplifying what it means to be a true leader and advocate. 2023 Winner: birdie duka-tutambe, 2022 Winner: Eleanor Moreno." Image 5 reads, "Not-So-Small Impact: This nonprofit, small business, or grassroots organization has advocated for and improved the lives of 2-SLGBTQ+ community members. 2023 Winner: Grand Rapids Trans Foundation, 2022 Winner: Lotus Brew & Malamiah Juice Bar.]

Thank you for an incredible Pride month of being naturally queer 🦋🌿🌈✨ The Grand Rapids Pride team is entering into a weeklong period of rest and rejuvenation after a booked, busy, and beautiful Pride month. Our office is closed beginning July 1st, and will not be reopened until our staff returns on Monday, July 8th. The business: Please check in with your group facilitator to know if your group will be running or not next week, or if there are any other changes that you should be aware of. You may also see our team posting on social media catching up to highlighting our entertainers, showcasing our vendors, or thanking our sponsors - these are scheduled, we are still offline and will not be answering emails, messages, or comments to honor our rest. See you in July! The fun: We had an amazing month of celebrating with you! Our staff have been in awe from witnessing the newly blossoming and longstanding events across Grand Rapids, and are thankful for every invite we have had to participate in these community gatherings. Grand Rapids continues to grow itself as a pocket in the Midwest that celebrates all within the 2-SLGBTQ+ community. This year, we have witnessed new opportunities, collaborations, events, and gatherings take place, keeping our city as vibrant as ever - we can not wait to see how this continues to unfold for years to come. We thank our staff, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, entertainers, and of course our patrons for helping us put on our busiest Pride Festival yet! We didn't let rain stop us, and we all had a blast from beginning to end with you. We couldn't have done this without any of you. What was your favorite part of the 2024 Grand Rapids Pride Festival? What does Queer is Natural mean to you? Comment below!

🌈🦋Host Announcement: DeeDee Chaunte 🌿💮#GRPrideFest2024 #QueerIsNatural DeeDee Chaunte @deedeechaunte is back again! Our emcee extraordinaire has been dancing through the heart of Grand Rapids for many years and has a message for you! "Hi there, it's me, DeeDee Chaunte! I just wanted to come and remind you all that I will be at Grand Rapids Pride on June 22nd! We start at noon, and we're going to be joined by the bounce diva herself, Big Freedia! So don't forget - twelve noon on the main stage at Grand Rapids Pride, June 22nd!" Grand Rapids Pride Festival will be taking over Calder Plaza for its 36th year on June 22nd, 2024! This year at the Grand Rapids Pride Center's largest fundraiser, we lean towards movements that represent our strides towards freedom and push the needle closer to liberation. [Image Description: The Grand Rapids Pride Festival entertainer border frames a DeeDee Chaunte video, with a transcription written above. The pink frame details information above the event: Saturday 6/22, 12PM - 10PM, all ages, Calder Plaza on Ottawa Ave. There is an illustrated disco ball at the bottom of the graphic.]