Benton Harbor Blocks OutCenter’s PrideFest Application, Raising Concerns Over Fair Treatment
OutCenter of Southwest Michigan, a long-standing local LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, is pushing back against the City of Benton Harbor’s decision to deny its application for the 2025 PrideFest at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park. We addressed the Benton Harbor City Commission on Tuesday, February 18th, detailing what we describe as an unjust and opaque decision-making process that threatens equitable access to public spaces.
Since 2022, we have hosted our annual Pride celebration in Benton Harbor, growing this single event into a three-city festival. OutCenter has consistently coordinated with private security and local law enforcement to ensure safety and compliance with city policies. Despite this track record of collaboration, City Manager Alex Little informed us in January that events would no longer be permitted at City Center Park, only to later contradict this statement via email, claiming that only “certain events” posing “special problems” would be restricted.
We have made multiple attempts to obtain clarification on the city’s policy, sending repeated emails to the city manager between January 29th and February 11th. The mayor and city commissioners of Benton Harbor were CC’d on the final emails. These questions remain unanswered, including requests for specifics on what qualifies as a “special problem” and how PrideFest meets this vague designation.
At the February 18th City Commission meeting, Alex Little, again, failed to provide this clarification. Now that OutCenter has involved the Benton Harbor mayor and city commissioners, we expect these leaders to step up to their civic responsibilities and provide accountability and clarity.
(OutCenter comments begin at 10:17. Read the transcript of OutCenter’s comments here.)
The abrupt change in the city’s response follows an incident during PrideFest 2024, in which the city failed to enforce its own park policies to keep permitted events safe. The OutCenter’s security team, volunteers, and staff successfully de-escalated the situation, but the insufficient support from the city, the lack of preparation from the city attorney, and the escalating behavior of a Benton Harbor city official all exacerbated tensions.
OutCenter’s position is that the city’s refusal to approve this event is not only unjust but also raises broader concerns about fairness and equal access to public spaces and services. According to Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan leaders have a responsibility to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and to ensure fair and equitable treatment [1][2][3].
With no response from city leadership and no clear policy framework, OutCenter is demanding accountability. We are calling on Benton Harbor officials to clarify their event permitting process, explain their rationale for rejecting the PrideFest application, and ensure that LGBTQ+ organizations are not being unfairly targeted.
As the situation unfolds, we continue to rally support from the community and local leaders, reinforcing the necessity of LGBTQ+ advocacy in Southwest Michigan.
We call upon our community to hold the city of Benton Harbor accountable for the lack of internal accountability, transparency, communication, and fairness. To be involved, we suggest the following actions:
Speak up to the city: go to the City of Benton Harbor Website to look up the contact information for the City Manager, the Mayor, and the City Commission. You can call them or send them an email, using the following script as an example:
“Dear (Mayor/Commissioner’s Name),
I’m reaching out as a concerned citizen (or resident, or community member) to request immediate clarity and accountability regarding Benton Harbor’s shifting policies on public park use. OutCenter Southwest Michigan has hosted PrideFest in the City Center park since 2022, but their 2025 application was stalled, then later verbally denied with little explanation.
Despite multiple follow-ups from OutCenter staff, the City has refused to clarify its decisions, and has failed to answer further clarifying questions. The lack of communication, transparency, and fairness is concerning, and is out of place in our community. LGBTQ+ citizens must have equal access to public spaces and benefit from enforcement of park permit policies.
I urge you to 1) provide the entire community the policies that resulted in denying OutCenter's permit request, 2) ensure transparency in how events are approved, and 3) guarantee that emails and questions from citizens in the future are answered in a timely manner.
Thank you,
(Your Name)”
Share with city officials your enjoyment and appreciation of the Twin Cities PrideFest in Benton Harbor. We want City leaders to know the community supports OutCenter events at this park and want to see city leaders help build and support inclusive and welcoming communities.
Share this article on social media, send copies to members of community organizations, and tell your friends about this issue. Even a simple link to this article on Facebook can make an impact by raising awareness. You can even tag or mention city officials, letting them know about your support of PrideFest and OutCenter Southwest Michigan.
When a city excludes one group, it risks excluding others. Interrupting this trend is our collective responsibility to ensure everyone in Benton Harbor and southwest Michigan belongs.
[1] https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4ab0b8/siteassets/case-documents/briefs/msc/2021-2022/162482/162482_32_at_brf.pdf
[2] https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/02/14/attorney-general-nessel-stands-with-transgender-military-members
[3] https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/02/07/attorney-general-dana-nessel-issues-guidance-to-michigan-healthcare-providers-and-patients