Letter to the Editor: Open Door Pride Committee Extends Thanks and Invitation

We want to extend a huge thank you to Sturgeon Bay Mayor David J. Ward, and to City Council members Helen Bacon, David Hayes, Dan Williams, Kelly Avenson, Gary Nault, Seth Wiederanders, and Kirsten Reeths for proclaiming June 16-22nd Open Door Pride Week.

We are filled with pride for publicly receiving this Proclamation at the City Council meeting on June 4th. It perfectly represents our mission to affirm our LGBTQIA+ community’s diversity through inclusion for all – and FYI the A stands for Ally. Open Door Pride is a grassroots organization, and in common support with another impactful organization PFLAG, we are working within the City of Sturgeon Bay, and Door County at large to ensure that this is a safe and welcoming place for all to live, work, and visit.

Open Door Pride will hold our third annual Pride Festival, Saturday, June 22nd 11 am – 5 pm, in Martin Park with a variety of family-friendly activities and entertainment. Hundreds of people attended last year’s celebration and we are looking forward to engaging more residents and visitors in our annual festival. Nationally, June is designated as Pride Month. Open Door Pride is extending our day-long celebration to include social gatherings throughout the week of June 16th. More information can be found on our website opendoorpride.org.

We would like to extend a warm invitation to Mayor Ward and Council members, to join us at noon on June 22nd in Martin Park, to read the Proclamation, which will provide a very meaningful start to our Pride Festival. We also want to extend an invitation to all Sturgeon Bay residents and visitors to join us in supporting our Pride. We will also be presenting our 2nd Sandy Brown Award given to a person or group we believe exemplifies our mission. This year’s recipient is Gibraltar school Diversity Acceptance Alliance Club.

Open Door Pride Committee:

Cathy Grier, Sandy Brown, Cynthia Germain, Robin Newman,

Steve Makovec, and Jodi Milske