Ortonville Council Denies Permit for Abigail’s Pride Event
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 5, 2024)
Ortonville, MI – Ortonville Village Council has denied an event permit to Abigail’s Pride, with a 5-1 vote on Feb. 26. The officials cite concerns over the application packet not being complete and complaints from businesses about closing the roads. Abigail’s Pride organizers say that it’s more about the event showing support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community than about logistics.
Abigail’s Pride has had two successful years in Downtown Ortonville, with a parade full of rainbows and affirming signage, followed by booths with vendors and resources, plus an area for entertainment and speeches. Many of the attendees were young people in the community, as well as parents and other adults that are supportive of inclusion. Hundreds attended without incident.
Local businesses sponsored the event and got involved with sidewalk sales and window displays. The Brandon Township Fire Department participated in the parade, as did the Brandon Township Library.
The event is named for Abigail Rowe, who started advocating for a Pride event in 7th grade.
“She wanted to give LGBTQ+ youth a chance to feel supported, said Abigail’s mother Elizabeth Rowe as she gave an introduction to the event at the Village Council meeting. “It is extremely difficult for the LGBTQ+ youth in Brandon to feel comfortable in their community.”
A couple of the council members expressed support for the event, but wanted it to be done in a way that did not close off access to the downtown businesses. A video of the council meeting shows discussion, though the speakers are not identified in the video.
“Everything’s fine except for the road closures,” said one councilwoman who said that she attended last year. “I think it is remarkable. We should be more accepting. I think we need this event.”
Another councilperson said “The businesses just don’t make money at this event. There were upset businesses last year… It doesn’t bring them any type of business in the door.”
President Kenneth Quisenberry said that Rowe would “have an uphill battle” if the event still included the road closure. Also at issue was the event application. Ortonville council recently updated their event application. Most events are put on by the DDA or the Village themselves, so there is more control over details like setup, insurance, safety, bathrooms, etc. Abigail’s Pride is not an official event, putting the onus on the group to account for insurance and planning. Council members expressed wanting the group to re-apply with a complete application and taking feedback about the road closure into consideration.
Anthony Randazzo is the only council person who voted yes to approve the event. Quisenberry, Linda Brooks, Kay Green, Larry Hayden, and Melanie Nivelt voted no.
Abigail’s Pride issued a statement from Abigail, saying “I and the team of Abigail’s Pride are extremely disappointed in the Ortonville Village Council members who voted 5-1 against issuing an event permit for the 3rd Annual Abigail’s Pride festival June 1 at the Feb. 25 council meeting. Despite claims about the denial being about road closures, council approved permits at the same meeting for Septemberfest – which closes the roads for seven more hours than our event – and Christmas in the village – which closes roads to village restaurants from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night.
“The whole situation just doesn’t make sense. Why did the council deny a permit only for the LGBTQ+ event? We vow to pursue the event in a similar format to the others held in the village. Continual denial would reek of homophobia.”
“But we are strengthened by the outpouring of support from all over southeast Michigan, and other LGBTQ+ organizations to students like me in northern Oakland County who felt underrepresented in our conservative community before we held our first event in 2022. Those are the people we vow to fight for in our pursuit of a full-on festival this year in Ortonville.
“We are still strategizing our next moves, and we plan to attend the March 25th Ortonville Village Council meeting. We welcome others to attend in support. The meeting is held at the Brandon township offices at 7pm.”
Abigail’s Pride continues to accept applications for vendors and sponsors for the June 1 event, though money will not be collected until the festival is approved. During the council meeting, Elizabeth Rowe noted that money coming in for vendors and sponsors help pay for the event. “We basically take every bit of money we get and pour it into this event,” she said.
Those wanting more info can visit www.AbigailsPride.com, or the Abigail’s Pride pages on Instagram or Facebook. Learn more about the Village of Ortonville at https://www.ortonvillevillage.com/.
