Kalamazoo Pride organizers focus on peace, joy during June

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Pride month began June 1 and organizers around West Michigan are gearing up for a month of events to celebrate.
OutFront Kalamazoo, a nonprofit organization offering resources for the LGBTQ+ community, has Pride events scheduled for this weekend.
The organization's Executive Director Christopher Terkos told News 8 that this year's tone feels a little different.
'I have been involved in Kalamazoo Pride since about 2009 and it does have a different feel this year but that again is that community peace and queer joy,' he said. 'The community is a happy community, we take care of one another, we take care of other communities.'
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Terkos said this year's Pride events, like every year, focus on bringing the community together while also protesting the hardships that the LGBTQ+ community has faced over the years.
This year, he said, comes at a time when rhetoric and threats to their community have heightened.
'The community has a lot of fear,' he said. 'We have had a funding loss, which has been difficult to manage and along with that, Pride sponsorships are down. 'We have hired a queer security firm that is owned and operated by queer people to make sure that we provide the level of protection that is necessary.'
It's a feeling that is shared by other staff members like Michael Cleggs-Arnott. Cleggs-Arnott serves as the organization's director of programs and outreach. He is the longest-serving tenured position there, having worked for OutFront for 10 years.
'I come from a community where I did not really connect with the LGBTQ+ community because I have a religious background and things like that, so we didn't talk a lot about that stuff back in the day. So being able to work at a place like this has helped me become more like myself,' he said.
Even though the tone feels different this year, ultimately both say Pride is always about celebration, and this year is no different.
List: Pride Month events in West Michigan 2025
'Even in difficult times we come together and celebrate and have a good time for who we are,' Terkos said. 'Pride is a protest, but more importantly queer joy is a protest. It shows that we're here and that we won't let times like this make us shrink back make us go back in the closet. Those are things that are not happening. We will make sure that we have a presence and that we are seen and that we are visible and that we celebrate who we are.'
Kalamazoo Pride takes place June 6-7 at Arcadia Creek Festival Place. For a full schedule of events, visit .
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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