ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A festival celebrating the LGBTQIA+ communities has brought thousands of people to Rochester.

“We've got the stage where we've got a headliner, we've got drag queens, we've got food vendors here,” Trillium Health CEO Jason Barnecut-Kearns said. “There's just so much. But we're here to celebrate Pride, to recognize the LGBTQ community and just really give us a chance to just be ourselves, be our authentic selves.”

Despite Pride Month being celebrated in June, the month of July has been deemed as Rochester's time to participate in the festivities, as many residents would visit New York City and then come up to Rochester the following month to participate in more demonstrations.

“We've had the pride picnic,” Kearns said. “This started 52 years ago before Stonewall, which set our pride in June. So we go back to our roots and continue to celebrate and celebrate in July.”

The first Pride parade in Rochester took place along east main street on June 28, 1989 during the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City. Now organizers are excited to continue the tradition.

“It's so important in today's current environments, you know, we are supported,” Kearns said. “There's a lot ahead of us and we want to make sure that we have our community behind us so we can continue to fight for love.”

Some participants are getting involved to advocate. 

“We're collecting signatures for the Equal Rights Amendment,” National Organization for Women Rochester chapter vice president Sarah Timmerman said. “The amendment would say that the government can't deny you any rights based on sex or gender, and we're collecting signatures to say that it should be in the Constitution and that people agree with us. And we want all of our rights recognized.”  

While others share their story through musical performances.

“My parents are pastors and they have two gay sons,” performer Ethan Soza said. “Coming out to pastors as parents was hard. But music has helped me through this whole process.”

And for guests like Javannah Davis, be given the opportunity to be the grand marshal recognizing her work LGBTQIA+ communities. 

“I was honored to be chosen to do that because I myself run an organization called Wave Women Incorporated, based here in Rochester, New York, that works with the black and brown trans community,” pride honorary marshal Javannah J. Davis said. “And nothing is more important to us than diversity, equity and inclusion.” 

Striving to create safe spaces, organizers hope its events continue to make others feel comfortable to be their authentic selves, passing down the torch for generations to come.

“We are here to live our daily lives, not just to get special rights, but to have those that are human rights extended to us as well, and not seen as just second, third, fourth and fifth class citizens,” Davis said. “And knowing that we need help within our community to thrive, not just survive.”