For many members of the Rochester community, Saturday marked one of their favorite celebrations.

“It’s Pride! So it’s a chance for the community to come together and just really be our authentic selves and just really celebrate coming together as a community,” said Jason Barnecut-Kearns, president and CEO of Trillium Health.

This year’s Pride parade included nearly 200 hundred groups walking in the parade and made for the biggest Pride parade celebration yet the city has seen.

“I think we had to turn people away because we had too many for the parade,” Barnecut-Kearns said.

The parade and festival were organized by Trillium Health and organizers even expanded on this year’s festival after roughly 15,000 people showed up in support last year.

“We’ve made it bigger there because we didn’t have enough food trucks,” he said. “So we know it’s going to be bigger this year. So I am so excited.”

It’s a cause for celebration that hits home for Jason and Trillium Health.

“We’re a health care organization,” he said. “We are focused on providing healthcare to the LGBTQ community as well. So that’s why it’s important to us. We want to be able to live authentically as employees of Trillium Health and we want our community to be authentic as well and have a safe healthy environment that we can thrive in.”

It’s exactly what the Pride celebrations aim to do especially as the LGBTQ+ community continues to face obstacles across the nation.

“We have to have our voices heard and that’s so critical,” Barnecut-Kearns said. “And you do that through everybody on the streets with you at the celebrations, that’s what it’s about. If everybody’s with you that just shows the solidarity. And why it’s important to continue to make sure that our LGBTQ+ communities are protected.”

The feeling of support on the streets is palpable.

“I’m already jumping it’s so exciting,” said Barnecut-Kearns.