Wausau Pride Festival. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — Pride month celebrations have made their way to central Wisconsin.
While Pride events are not new to the city of Wausau, this is the first year The Wausau River District held hosted a Pride celebration.
The 400 Block had every color of the rainbow on display, as hundreds gathered to celebrate and kick off Pride month. People traveled across the region to attend Saturday’s event.
“Even as a part of the community I am shocked by how many people are here,” Aero-Jean Peterson member of the Mosinee Pride Club said.
Those in attendance described the environment as supportive and inclusive. Blake Opal-Wahoske, executive director of the Wausau River District said the goal of Wausau Pride is to spread love and support in the city.
“Actually community members reached out to the city of Wausau looking to have an annual pride event be a regular thing in downtown Wausau,” Opal-Wahoske said. “Now a year later we are here with Wausau pride.”
Pride events are traditionally described as a safe space throughout the LGBTQIA community and Peterson said she felt that while at Wausau Pride.
“It probably feels a lot more inclusive, it is definitely a lot safer at events like these I’m not quite as ‘oh I have to hide that I am queer'” Peterson said. “It’s very open and I’m very comfortable with the people around me.”
Keep Area Teens Safe (KATS), an area non-profit, held an informational booth at Wausau Pride to spread awareness of the resources available in the community. Marissa Spatz, a youth tech with KATS, said teens in the area need to know where they can go in a crisis.
“There is a growing number of teens that are in difficult situations and may be running away from home, parents that can’t have them in the home, trafficking, addiction,” Spatz said. “We service a lot of different things.”
Artist Stephanie Kohli unveiled a mural during the events that depict love, acceptance, truth, and unity. Kohli said the paint will last for at least 10 years. The mural is now on the display in the 400 Block on Jefferson Street.
“This mural I’m presenting today is different this one has been done not as a commissioned piece of art but as a needed and called from the heart piece for this community,” Kohli said. “I’ve donated my time in creating it because I know Wausau needs more positive messaging for diversity and inclusion.”
For those who were not able to make it to Wausau Pride Opal-Wahoske said they have already started planning next year’s event.
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