RACINE — Racine Pride Day 2023 brought rainbow colors and personal sharing to Racine City Hall Plaza for about two hours on Sunday afternoon.
The event, presented by the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin and the City of Racine, attracted about 80 to 100 members, friends and family of the area’s LGBTQ+ community for formal and informal, personal speeches.
The site, outside Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave., was also filled with brightly colored clothing, flags and signs.
For some attendees – and speakers – the event was to rally listeners. For others, it was to share their own personal stories.
“It’s about power, control and autonomy,” said Mark Pochowski, digital strategist at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. He pointed out that Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that struck down abortion rights and re-instituted Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban.
Other speakers, however, preferred to talk of their own experiences.
Ri Witer, a Racine Interfaith Coalition (RIC) organizer and a street organizer for the Hopes Center, spoke of personal struggle as a former church pastor and transgender man.
“I grew up with a lot of turmoil because who I was and who people thought I was were different,” Witer said. “My creator created me as who I am. My voice is proud that I’m a member of this community.”
About 10 protesters – many carrying signs – were on the sidewalk at the perimeter of City Hall Plaza.
Some shouted out during the speeches but there were no physical clashes or other incidents with Pride Day attendees.
Pride Day resources and events
Listeners at Pride Day were reminded of community resources available from The LGBT Center and of upcoming events in the area.
- Safe Zone Training is available to any local organization that wishes to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community. For details, or to schedule a training session, email execdirector@lgbtsewi.org or call 262-664-4100.
- All Together Now: Pride Drag Queen Story Time is scheduled for 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. this Friday, June 30, at the second-floor Community Room of the Racine Public Library, 75 Seventh St.
- Kenosha Pride 2023 is Saturday, July 8. The Kenosha Pride March starts at 11 a.m. that day from Library Park, 711 59th Place. Kenosha Pride 2023 events run from 12:30 to 10 p.m. at Celebration Place at Harbor Park, 5501 Ring Road. For more information, visit Kenosha Pride online.
Celebrations
The Racine County Eye, which includes the Kenosha Lens, has a great celebrations section to keep you updated on community-wide events and other festivities. Subscribe today to stay up-to-date with local news.
Have a celebration worth sharing? Contact emma@racinecountyeye.com to discuss your ideas.
Follow us on Facebook: Racine County Eye or Kenosha Lens, and Twitter to make sure you get the latest news.
Racine County Eye and Kenosha Lens – Journalism that serves.
Comments are closed.