Over 100 people came together and turned their pride into civic action
Reclaiming MI Pride, Equality Michigan Action Network’s 2026 statewide movement-building and voter engagement campaign, took off across Michigan with over 100 attendees! Neighbors and leaders from Lansing, Traverse City, and Grand Rapids came together and turned unapologetic pride into civic action!
Lansing
Rep. Emily Dievendorf spoke on the importance of solidarity and remaining firm in our values. KC Garcia from the Salus Center shared the resources, support groups, and needs of LGBTQ+ folks in the community. Just that night alone, over 10 new volunteers signed up for an upcoming shift.
Traverse City
Over 40 people came to the kick off event, making it our biggest one so far! Rep. Betsy Coffia, Adrienne Brown-Reasner (Director of UP North Pride), and volunteer Bobbi Wasielewski each took to the mic and spoke plainly about where we are.
But the message from every speaker was the same: the answer is not to shrink and hide. It’s to organize the community and that starts with knocking doors and having real conversations. It’s to be out, loud, and unapologetically proud and to channel that energy into action.
Grand Rapids
EMAN’s own Emme spoke along with Rep. Kristian Grant and Ximón Kittok (Executive Director of GR Trans Foundation) about solidarity with the trans community across Michigan, bringing together a zealous group ready to dive into the work in their neighborhoods.
Reclaiming MI Pride is about our collective power. We want to make sure that LGBTQ+ Michiganders help shape what comes next. Find an upcoming volunteer opportunity near you.