About Us
Our Mission
Our Mission is to cultivate inclusion, education, and joy with steadfast advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community throughout West-Central Michigan.
Meet Our 2024-2025 Board Members
Remington Hernandez - President
Janitza SawyerOcasio - Vice President &
Marketing/Social Media
The Rev. Radhajyoti Kaminski - Secretary
Bryce Longenberger - Treasurer
Darin Coleman - Community Outreach
Allison LeVeque - Sargent at Arms & Stage Crew
Dakota Anderson - At Large Member
Al Alley - At Large Member, Ferris LGBTQ+ RC Outreach
Aleeha Turner - At Large Member
Rosaline Willams - At Large Member
Brittany Gwisdala - At Large Member
Committee Members
Lisa David, Vendors and Booths
Our Code of Conduct
Pride Big Rapids requests the cooperation of all festival attendees/participants with the following Festival Code of Conduct for Pride Big Rapids 2023.
The Pride Big Rapids festival is a welcoming event; having both time and space to come together with friends, family, and loved ones to celebrate the progress of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Our code of conduct is designed to ensure that the festival is a safe and accepting space for every participant/attendee and that everyone is treated with kindness, courtesy, and respect.
Pride Big Rapids is a safe space and we will not tolerate any threatening, violent or offensive behavior against participants, volunteers, staff, security personnel, and attendees.
Pride Big Rapids celebrates diversity and we do not condone and actively dismiss anyone making derogatory remarks about, or any signage targeting, a person’s age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, size, wardrobe, physical ability, economic status, religion, and/or presence at the Pride Big Rapids festival.
Any individual found to be harassing or infringing on the bodily integrity of other participants will be asked to exit the event immediately (and will be reported to the police).
Pride Big Rapids politely requests that everyone act responsibly and according to the law with regards to alcohol consumption across the event footprint.
Pride Big Rapids asks for all the participants in attendance, either in favor or against the event, to reflect and ask themselves if their words and actions towards others present are what they would want said or done to them? We ask all of those present participants to be respectful of all no matter their differences.
Failure to abide by the Code of Conduct can result in the following:
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Pride Big Rapids reserves the right to remove any group or person(s) from the premises of the festival if in the opinion of the organizers their behavior is deemed offensive, puts spectators or other participants at risk of physical harm, violates the code of conduct, or is a hindrance to the progress of the festival.
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Pride Big Rapids is a celebration recognizing the past and current struggles along with future possibilities of the LGBTQIA+ community. All participants and those present in and at the festival are encouraged to embrace and respect this goal.
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*The above Code of Conduct was revised in part from the Pride in London and the Upper Cumberland Pride Code of Conduct.