On Sunday, June 7, an expected 40,000 people will gather in Ferndale for the Motor City Pride festival.

 

Put on by the Triangle Foundation and with the help of hundreds of volunteers, the festival brings together the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as well as straight supporters and the curious, according to event chair Dave Wait.

 

“The majority are from the [LGBT] community, there’s a lot of allies that also come and support,” Wait said. “I’m sure a few curious people too.”

The foundation is asking for a $5 donation to help offset the cost of the festival. Among the activities and entertainment to be offered are a car show by Lambda Car Club International, a beer garden, live entertainment, a dunk tank and a commitment ceremony that will be held the day before.

Rev. Mark Bidwell of Metropolitan Community Church will be co-officiating a mass commitment ceremony in front of city hall Saturday, June 6, along with Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey. Bidwell said they are expecting just over a dozen couples to participate in the ceremony, even though there will be no legal recognition of the commitments made on that day.

“It makes people feel a little more legitimized by the presence of people like him,” Bidwell said of the mayor’s presence. Bidwell also said that the ceremony itself, being performed by a religious figure, means a lot to the community. “It’s something people have longed for to have a church, a clergy acknowledge their love and their relationship.”

Not only is the ceremony a spiritual event for the couples, Bidwell said it’s also a political statement and that they will continue to do it until gay couples are recognized by the government.

“I’m a firm believer we have the right to call it a marriage,” Bidwell said. “Otherwise they’re treating us like second-class citizens.”

Part of the power of the ceremony comes from it being a public event that everyone can watch.

“We wanted people to be able to witness and see couples celebrating their love and commitment to each other out in public,” Bidwell said.

Because not everyone who is gay is openly gay, and some travel from areas that are not as accepting of the lifestyle, Wait said the festival can be validating.

“People who aren’t fully out or participating in the community, it’s a very affirming day for them,” Wait said.

Ryan Rouse, who graduated from Oakland University last year, has been involved in the festival for four years.

“Motor City Pride, I feel is the one big event where you can go to and you can truly be yourself,” Rouse said. “People can come, be themselves, realize there are other people going through the same kind of trials that they’re going through.”

Rouse said that the festival also does a lot to raise awareness of the LGBT community in the area.

“I think that Rochester Hills and Oakland University in particular are a lot further along in their acceptance not only to the LGBT community but religions, races … ” said Rouse, who grew up in a rural area that wasn’t as accepting.

“When I went through high school there were not a whole lot of out LGBT people and there was a really bad stigma. I put who I was in the back of my head because I grew up and went to school with people who thought it was wrong.”

“The very first Pride that I went to it really helped me accept myself and make me feel somewhat relieved,” Rouse said.

For more information about Motor City Pride visit www.motorcitypride.org.

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