It’s Pride Month! We proudly fly the Pride flag year-round at Grain Train in celebration and support of our LGBTQ+* staff, customers, and community members. Creating a welcoming place for everyone is part of who we are.
This month, we had the opportunity to sit down with Jon, our Center Store Manager, to talk about what Pride Month means to him and why visibility for the LGBTQ+ community remains so important today.
For Jon, Pride Month is an important time of recognition. He sees it as an opportunity for members of the LGBTQ+ community—especially those who may not openly share that part of themselves every day—to celebrate their identities and the importance of visibility.
Reflecting on his own journey, Jon thought about what Pride would have meant to him when he was still trying to understand where he belonged and find his place in the world.
“As I came to understand that I’m gay, just knowing that I wasn’t the only one in that moment… that’s really what the visibility aspect of it is all about.”
He went on to say, “It’s not something I’ve ever felt the need to wave my rainbow flag every day and say, ‘This is who I am.’ Because realistically, it’s a very small part of who I am. There is so much more to anyone than just their sexual identity.”
We asked Jon what it has been like working in food co-ops as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He shared that, more than anywhere else he has worked—including his family’s business—co-ops have been welcoming from day one.
He recalled starting at Oryana in Traverse City in 2006 and experiencing the same sense of acceptance that he feels today—something that was far less common at the time. He says that welcoming culture is a big part of why he has chosen to stay in the co-op world. It’s a place where he can simply be himself.
“Something I think a lot of members of the LGBTQIA+ community experience is a sort of back-burner fear that you don’t even know is there until it’s gone. And then it’s like, ‘Whoa, is this real?’”
Jon expressed how meaningful it is for LGBTQ+ staff and community members to know they are welcome at the Grain Train. He also wanted to extend that message to other businesses in the community, emphasizing the power of creating a culture of acceptance and belonging.
When we asked about his experience living in Northern Michigan, Jon reflected, “There is some correlation between being in smaller towns and dealing with things like walking down the street and, if I was holding hands, hearing ‘faggot.’ Sure, that happened in Traverse City in the ’90s, but it kind of fizzled out after that. There is a difference. The further I’ve gotten into Northern Michigan, the more important it has become to have Pride events and to be more visible.”
He continued, “I think Pride Month is so important for that visibility—to know that we exist, that we’re normal people, and that we’re just like everyone else. Just to be here and say, ‘Yes, I’m gay,’ and let people see that for themselves. I’m not so different from you.”
When we asked Jon what gives him a sense of security in the workplace, he answered, “The culture of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) really being present in a company’s values and putting those values out there for everyone to see. Hanging a rainbow flag is amazing, but real security comes from knowing they’re looking out for everybody—not just the LGBT community. The DEI initiatives are practiced, and they’re working to improve them. I’ve found that in every co-op. We put it in our posters; we check in to make sure that what we’re doing speaks to those values on a regular basis. It’s really just that simple.”
The final question we asked Jon was what he would like to say to the youth of today. “That they are not alone and not to play into all the fear that is out there,” he replied. He went on to say, “I would like any LGBT youth—really, any youth, period—to know that it’s okay to be just who they are. You don’t have to put a label on it. You don’t have to be one of the letters. You don’t have to be anything. You can just be you. You don’t need to fit in to belong. It’s great. I wish every child knew that.”
We couldn’t agree more, Jon. His message is one we hope resonates with everyone, regardless of age, identity, or background.
This month, we invite our entire community to learn more about LGBTQ+ Pride and to look for opportunities to be an ally by participating in events hosted by Rock Your Rainbows, Straits Area Pride, and Up North Pride.
We also hope to see you at the LGBTQ Alliance of Petoskey’s 8th Annual Flag Parade and People’s March on Sunday, June 28, beginning at 6:30 PM in Pennsylvania Park and proceeding to the People’s Corner.
Pride is a celebration of visibility, belonging, and community—and everyone is welcome.
