PRIDE

Toledo, Ohio shows its Pride!

The heart of downtown Toledo was pulsed with color Saturday. The annual Toledo Pride festival in Levis Square celebrated diversity and promoted equality for the LGBTQIA community — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and allied. People bedecked in bright, rainbow colors filled the streets after a joy-filled parade down Adams Street.

PRIDE

Chico Pride comes with drag kings!

Chico >> Pride means being yourself. It means being able to walk into a place and not worry about exit strategies. It means feeling comfortable. It means love; acceptance. Saturday, City Plaza was an array of rainbow tie-dye dresses, striped headbands, hair and flags for Chico Pride Weekend 2017. Children splashed in the fountain as drag kings lip synched to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Go the Distance,” from the Disney movie “Hercules.”

PRIDE

Pride in small town Nebraska.

Friends, family and community members gathered in Frank Park on Saturday to show their support at the third annual Panhandle Pride Picnic. In between pizza and ice cream, friends and strangers shared stories, had a few laughs and played a few games while everyone competed to win one of several prizes donated by local businesses. The event brings together members of the public, regardless of whether they are a member of the LGBTQ community, a family member, friend or ally. Each year, the event has grown bigger. This year’s picnic saw more than 200 people in attendance.

PRIDE

Jersey City Pride focuses on transgender rights.

After decades of fighting for basic rights and finally obtaining the freedom to marry, the LGBT community is gearing up for yet another battle to retain some of their gains. Faced with a hostile U.S. president, this year’s Jersey City’s Pride Festival will become the focal point of that struggle.

PRIDE

The Pride Parade kicks off in Montreal today

The festivities celebrating Montreal’s sexual diversity and plurality are nearly over, but not before the colourful and large-scale Pride Parade takes over downtown streets today. The parade started at noon at the corner of Drummond Street and make its way east along René-Lévesque Boulevard. The event will wrap up at Alexandre-DeSève Street in the city’s Gay Village.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Luvs gets it right when connecting with LGBT parents.

Finding an “insight” is the holy grail of marketing. Brands spend years and dollars mining data to find exactly the right way to connect with their target audience. The “insight” becomes the unique aspect of the target where the brand can find an even more unique connection. Finding the “insight” is a big part of what I teach in my class at NYU. It’s a big part of the work I do with clients. And there’s no better example than that of the brand Luvs.

OPINIONS

Editorial: Redefining ‘sex’ is good for LGBT protection

Amending the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect members of the LGBT community is long overdue. It’s been debated in every legislative session since 1983, yet there has been no progress. The state of Michigan still allows discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is ridiculous. However, as that fight continues, Equality Michigan has filed a petition with the Michigan Civil Rights Commission that could immediately help this vulnerable population.