As lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities turn our attentions towards Pride month this year, you may, like many, find yourself asking: “Why do we need Gay Pride anyway?” Not to say that we have full equality, but we have come so far over the past 20 years that many in our community are becoming complacent to wait on equal rights or have lost that spark of activism that gave birth to our annual Pride month celebration across the globe.

Well, it’s true. We don’t need to march down Elmwood Avenue or gather on the grassy green lawn of Bidwell Park. But we do it anyway. As LGBT people we should be proud of our shared heritage and celebrate the diverse culture that makes us who we are as a community. If we don’t celebrate and keep our cultural heritage alive, who will?

Pride celebrations have been around for more than three decades and have popped up in small cities and towns all across America over the past few years. While we not be protesting in the streets—not all of us, us anyway—our ability to come together as a community and celebrate each June ties us together. We’re a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-everything community with only one thing in common: We don’t fit into the heteronormative construct and we should be proud to celebrate that every day, as well as each year in June.

Events like Juneteenth, the Hellenic Festival, St. Patrick’s Day, the Jewish Film Festival, and others around Buffalo celebrate our city’s many heritages. It’s important to celebrate LGBT history and culture as well, and to reaffirm our commitment to community at Pride each year. As we move forward in our struggle for equal rights, opponents and community leaders point to the lack of a cohesive identity or unified voice in our community. That is our diverse community’s biggest downfall, and Pride is one way to show that we can come together. Building friendships across cultural divides and celebrating our differences is what Pride is all about these days.

I recently caught up with Michelle Olandese, president of Pride Buffalo, Inc., the current producers of our annual Buffalo Pride Parade & Festival. We chatted a bit about why we still need our annual Pride celebration:

Bryan Whitley-Grassi: So what’s the big deal these days? Why do we still need a Gay Pride parade in Buffalo?

Michelle Olandese: It is important for our community to come together to acknowledge, celebrate and embrace who we are.

BWG: What’s your favorite thing about Pride?

MO: I enjoy the whole weekend. I tend to take quite a few moments throughout the weekend to take all the sights and sounds in. I find the experience very energizing and deeply moving.

BWG: What motivated you to become involved in the planning process?

MO: Since I am a member of the LGBT community, it is important for me to take an active role in our community. I am a social worker as well, so being involved in community work is a big piece of who I am.

BWG: What do you hope that participants will take away from this year’s events?

MO: I hope that they will enjoy themselves, but most of all I hope that they will take a moment and ask themselves: “What does it mean to me to have and attend the Pride celebration in Buffalo?”

BWG: What do you see for the future of the Pride parade and festival in Buffalo?

MO: I have been concerned about the future of the Pride Buffalo, Inc. organization since it is hard to find people who are willing, committed, and dependable and want to take on the many responsibilities of planning the Pride celebration. I would like to thank all those who have been part of Pride Buffalo over the years because without them the Pride celebration would not be where is it today. It also concerns me that there are people in our community that still question why we need a celebration in Buffalo.

So, as you get ready to “party down” at Bidwell Park on June 8, take time to think about what you are taking part in and do your part to carry that feeling of pride with you everyday. If you don’t usually attend the festivities, make it a point this year to come celebrate with your community and enjoy the freedom that brings to you. Or, if you are not a member of the LGBT community but interested in showing your support or experiencing one of the biggest cultural events of the season, you can come join us too.

Our shared experiences have brought us to where we stand as a civil rights movement today, and those same experiences have provided us with a shared cultural identity and heritage. It is both our duty and our privilege to celebrate the past—whether it be good, bad, happy, or sad—that has shaped our identities as LGBT individuals, friends, families, and communities. That’s why we still need Pride.

Pride Buffalo kicks off on Saturday evening (June 7) with the seventh annual Dyke March, staring at 495 Elmwood at 7:30pm and ending at Bidwell Parkway for live music by Bitch and Ferron, DJs, dancing, and a cash bar.

The full Pride parade and celebration begins Sunday morning (June 8) at 1pm at Kleinhans Music Hall. (The lineup for the parade begins at 11am.) The parade ends at Bidwell Parkway for a full afternoon of entertainment, including comedian Richard Ryder and music by Gregory Douglass, Bitch and Ferron, and Needle Up. Visit pride-buffalo.org for more details.