HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Area LGBTQ residents and the community is invited to Holland PRIDE 2017.
The weekend is filled with events starting on Friday, June 23, with “Best Laid Plans”, A Murder Mystery Dinner held at the Holland Arts Council on 8th Street. Tickets are $50.00 and include dinner, drinks, dessert and a silent auction.
An Outdoor Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 24, at Window on the Waterfront. There will be information booths, vendors, kids area, music and more. Later that evening you can head to The Park Theater in downtown Holland for a PRIDE Sock Hop from 7:30-10:30 p.m. featuring Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys. There will be drinks available for purchase and the cost is $10.00
Michelle Driesenga is co-chair of Holland PRIDE and says that for people in the community who may be struggling with the area organizations who support the LGBTQ community, they are not looking for extra rights. She says she has heard that a lot.
“That’s not what we’re looking for. We just want the same right as everybody else has and sometimes that is based on who we love or the gender we identify as. Those are things that we are sometimes denied just because of that. So we’re not asking for anything special. We’re just asking to be treated equally and to be allowed to love who we love and be who we are, without fear.”
Sunday will feature a PRIDE Unity & Faith Gathering at Centennial Park from 12-2 p.m. Holland United Church of Christ will be on hand with Pastor Bryan Berghoef. ALL are welcome.
A new Community Center opened it’s doors in late May and is located at 451 Columbia Ave in Holland. It provides a central, safe place for LGBTQ youth and adults to gather in Holland. The approximately 1000 square-foot location is envisioned to be a space where LGBTQ people, their families and allies can find support, participate in programs, or simply be together in safe space.
Out On The Lakeshore was formed in the fall of 2015 by leaders of Holland is Ready and Holland PRIDE, who wanted to unify program, fundraising, and supportive efforts toward LGBTQ inclusion and rights in the greater Holland area.
