Buffalo Grove’s inaugural LGBTQ pride parade and festival are Sunday, June 2 along a residential route that’s likely to attract throngs of people sporting rainbow-hued feather boas, beads, and maybe even a tutu or two. Just be sure to keep it all family-friendly, suggests Molly Pinta, the 13-year-old student at Twin Groves Middle School who organized the parade along with her mom Carolyn, a Spanish teacher at the school.
Once Pinta Pride Project Inc. became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in September 2018, sponsorship contributions led to an overall amount raised of more than $50,000 to cover security and other associated costs, according to Carolyn. Despite the costs, the opportunity for Molly and other Buffalo Grove locals to openly express their identity without having to leave the community is priceless.
“I don’t really get the negative comments,” says Molly. “First, I’m not very active on Facebook. And second, they’re usually directed at my mom for ‘exploiting me and dragging me down the path to hell.’ These comments are truly not a big deal to me. I get so much more love than I get hate, so it doesn’t really affect me.”
Pride Parade Sunday, June 2, 10 AM-12 PM, on Checker Drive between Carry Lane and Ridgefield Lane, Pinta Pride Project
Uniquely Us Festival Sunday, June 2, 12 PM-4 PM, Mike Rylko Community Park, 1000 N. Buffalo Grove, Uniquely Us
