Members of the local LGBTQ+ community who also have disabilities are getting ready to participate in the Rochester Pride Parade this weekend.
"We had a big presence last year and an even bigger one this year," said Tracy Crosby, executive director of The Arc Foundation of Monroe.
The foundation raises funds for The Arc of Monroe, a nonprofit supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Crosby said about 25 LGBTQ+ people who receive services from The Arc will be participating in the parade.
They include 46-year old Gretchen Wise.
"I think it's important for me to sort of, in a way, being a leader of sorts for others that might be in the same boat, being gay and having a disability," Wise said through a voice communication app. She has Dandy Walker Syndrome, which affects her speech.
This will be Wise's second Pride Parade. She said she came out years ago.
"In a way," she said, "I'm still a bit nervous when it comes to being out in public and announcing to people that I'm gay, but I'm slowly getting used to it."
Wise and others who attend The Arc's Community Arts Connection program were creating colorful signs and buttons for the parade. They will be assembling their float on Saturday morning.
Creative arts coordinator Skyla Pisciotti said each decorative item was designed by multiple people, reflecting the group’s team effort.
"Being a part of the Pride Parade has opened a lot of opportunities and new learning experiences for everyone," she said. "Being a part of the (LGBTQ+) community myself, I feel really honored to go through the process of coordinating with the team."
Having a disability and identifying as gay comes with its own unique challenges, and Crosby said The Arc has embraced the opportunity to support these individuals in any way they can.
"A lot of them live in residential homes, so they don't have a lot of freedom moving their sexuality, who comes in, who goes out," she said. "So we try to encourage all of our staff to create judgment free zones, to be safe spaces."
Rochester's Pride Parade starts at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, at the intersection of Alexander Street and Park Avenue.
This story comes from WXXI's Inclusion Desk, focusing on disabilities and inclusion.