Proud to be a Member at Motor City Pride

Andrew Goddeeris, Legal Intern
This past weekend I had the opportunity to represent the ACLU of Michigan at Motor City Pride, and while I consider myself a strong ally of the LGBT community and have been to smaller pride events in the past, it was eye-opening to see such a huge number of people proclaming every person’s right to love.

It is tremendously rewarding to be part of an organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights and liberties of all people, and to see so many wildly different people in one place proudly celebrating their identities impressed upon me the importance of the work of organizations like ours. We had a great time recruiting new members, explaining the work of the ACLU, and catching up with old supporters, all on a couple of beautiful days in Downtown Detroit.

► See photos of our friends & allies at Motor City Pride

It was especially heartening to see so many young people proudly declaring their identities. I’m not too many years removed from high school, and I can still vividly remember the struggles of my LGBT classmates. There's a lot of work to be done to allow young people to feel comfortable with their gender and sexuality, it brought a smile to my face to see so many teenagers celebrating their pride.

We had dozens join the us as members at Motor City Pride, but you don't have to wait to become a card-carrying supporter of equality and justice in our state: it only takes two minutes to join online.

Comparing events like Motor City Pride to what would have been possible 40 years ago really hammers home the impact that advocates for civil rights and liberties can have on society, and I’m so glad I was able to play a small, small role with the ACLU of Michigan. 

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