Supporting our local 2SLGBTQ+ community is a year-round mission. That’s why we are proud to partner once again with Great Lakes Bay Pride for their community closet initiative. Great Lakes Bay Pride was organized in 2002, originally as an offshoot of the Triangle Foundation (now Equality Michigan), under the name Perceptions. This was during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell era, not too long after the Defense of Marriage Act, so the organization itself was in the closet at the time. It was very small and insular. Typically, members had to know someone who was a part of the community in order to join. Back in the day, Executive Director Scott Ellis says, there was a listserv you’d have to get on in order to get connected. This was done for safety and discretion, as it was not a safe environment to be out in the early 2000s.
In 2015, Perceptions was approached by a group that had been producing a pride festival in the area for several years and needed someone else to take over. The Perceptions team knew that having a local 2SLGBTQ+ festival was important, but they also knew that agreeing would make the organization a lot more visible and a lot more public-facing. They accepted the opportunity and the combined community would later become Great Lakes Bay Pride, which has now been growing and adapting for nearly 25 years in some iteration. The organization’s longest running offering among their varied programming is the GLBP Friday night dinner program. For over two decades, almost weekly, like-minded queer folks from across the region gather for dinner, community, and conversation on Friday nights. Over time, GLBP programs have evolved as needs have evolved, but the practice of connecting with the community over a shared meal has endured.
Scott Ellis, now GLBP’s Executive Director, joined the organization to help with events and festival coordination in 2017, and by 2019 he was GLBP’s first paid staff person. Having hit his milestone 10th year coordinating the Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival, Scott continues to look toward the future. The needs of the community change all the time, Scott says. “Where people are at, what they’re looking for, it’s constantly evolving.” GLBP offers peer support groups, including a trans peer support group that has been ongoing since 2008. GLBP also helps folks navigate resources and connect with safe medical providers for all gender identities. There’s a community choir, partnerships with local sports teams that host pride nights at their games, and more.
One of the most crucial resources Great Lakes Bay Pride provides is their community closet. The community closet program is open to folks in all counties GLBP serves, and features clothing and personal hygiene supplies. They also take requests for the closet, offering a form where folks can select items they need or submit special requests including specialty hair care products, undergarments, and shoes. GLBP does their best to accommodate requests and offer a wide variety of supplies for diverse needs. GLBP has also introduced programs to assist folks in getting their IDs and other documents updated. Where possible, GLBP helps with the cost of updating these documents as well. The goal is to break down barriers wherever possible to support the community. All donations made at our Timber Cannabis Co and Cloud Cannabis locations will go directly towards supporting the Great Lakes Bay Pride Community Closet and related programs!
Great Lakes Bay Pride’s Prevention and Education Manager and Ezhibiiged (Secretary) of the MI Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Coalition, Kt Mandoka, met Scott during her work on an undergrad project addressing gaps in access to support services for Two Spirit and Queer Indigenous folks. Whether those gaps came from lack of understanding, or not a large enough need in one individual area, one of the requirements of the project was to create programs for nonprofits and reach out to discuss with people already in that area. Kt reached out to Scott to look at her proposal, not knowing that he had been hoping to bring on a program manager for some time, preferably one in Isabella County, where Kt is based. So Kt joined the team, and soon established the MI Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Coalition, which has representation from 9 different nations across Turtle Island (North America). The coalition works to partner with folks already providing resources to offer two spirit talking circles facilitated by indigenous folks, in an effort to create safe spaces for community members to be in ceremony with each other. Kt says the coalition also works with Indigenous nations to review tribal code and HR policies to include more affirmation and inclusion, creates course electives for universities, and works to connect with similar organizations to expand reach and efficacy. Learn more about the MI Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Coalition here!
Historically, the 2SLGBTQ+ and cannabis communities have and do experience marginalization and stigmatization. Both continue to fight for respect and legal recognition in 2026, historically having often done so alongside each other. Many credit the queer community with being instrumental in the legalization of medical marijuana in California. It was queer activists who pushed for people to recognize the plant’s therapeutic and medicinal benefits for terminally ill people, while cannabis activists smuggled weed brownies into the hospital to ease symptoms for patients during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
High Minded and Great Lakes Bay Pride hope to continue that legacy of solidarity with this partnership, especially as we are actively witnessing the systematic erasure of rights for 2SLGBTQ+ Americans. “We have to be aware and be sure we are advocating for all parts of the community,” Scott says, especially the most vulnerable. GLBP took over the pride festival right after the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision which legalized same sex marriage, a crucial time for the queer community. “We talk about Obergefell when we talk about advocacy because we want to remember that for some people, that was the end. That was the goal. It was a pivotal moment in time, and sometimes we notice, depending on the different parts of the community we work with, we are seeing these systematic erasures of rights for other people, who are not really impacted in any way by Obergefell. So we have to be aware of that and be sure we’re advocating for all parts of the community. We want to keep advocating for marriage equality, but we really need to think about the nonbinary and trans communities, because they are directly under attack right now.” Representation and support really matter. Kt says it’s refreshing knowing some businesses are actively employing 2SLGBTQ+. “It doesn’t take a genius to understand that cannabis is a billion dollar booming industry,” Kt says, “and I’ve seen inclusion and affirmation from members of our community in positions of power.”
Brelynn Woodrick, our Higher Hopes & Culture Coordinator, adds, “there are so many injustices still in the cannabis industry, and so many people incarcerated for non-violent cannabis charges in the United States. There are also so many injustices affecting the queer community. It’s important for cannabis businesses to recognize social equity in both aspects – injustices are still going on in Michigan for queer folks as well.” Brelynn lives in Indiana, where she says there are far fewer resources for L2SLGBTQ+ folks. “It’s important as a cannabis company to recognize our privilege that we get to work in this space legally. And it’s a privilege that we get to support organizations like Great Lakes Bay Pride.”
Our High Minded Cannabis cultivators were given the opportunity to vote for causes they wanted to support, and the support for local 2SLGBTQ+ causes was overwhelming. At the end of the quarter, High Minded will donate $2000 towards GBLP programming. Beyond financial support, our team values showing up in person including regular attendance and volunteering at local events like the Mt. Pleasant Pride Fest, where we have volunteers there representing Stash! On the company side, we sent out a call to all employees and folks who are a part of the queer community, as well as those who are allies or curious, to create an open and honest conversation to find ways Stash Ventures can better meet the needs of our queer employees. The team came up with some great ideas including updating our Microsoft Teams to automatically display pronouns. “It’s important for us to connect to all our employees so that they feel seen and heard,” Brelynn says.
A portion of proceeds from sales in-store will go to GLBP this quarter, but as Stash Marketing Director, Christopher York says, “cash is king when it comes to non-profits,” so we always recommend donating directly.
How You Can Support Great Lakes Bay Pride Today
The festival may happen in June, but GLBP’s Community Closet, peer support groups, and the MI Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Coalition operate 365 days a year.
Donate Directly: You can make a direct, tax-deductible donation on the Great Lakes Bay Pride Donation Page.
Drop Off Supplies: Learn more about the Community Closet initiative to help provide assistance to community members, including hygiene products and specialty hair care.
Get Involved: Learn more about their Friday night dinners and resources by visiting Great Lakes Bay Pride online.