Molly Pinta, a very proud and passionate 12 year old from Buffalo Grove Illinois is raising $30,000 to bring a LGBTQ Pride Parade to Buffalo Grove on June 2, 2019. Molly attended her first Pride event in June, where she and her mom, Carolyn Pinta, marched in the inaugural Aurora Pride parade in the western suburbs of Chicago. It was then she realized it was safe to be herself. Shortly thereafter, Pinta came out as a lesbian and decided to take action and make a difference.
“People at the parade were so open and showing their true colors,” she says. “I felt like I didn’t want to hide anymore, I wanted to show my true self.” Pinta said.
With the full support of her parents, Carolyn and Bob Pinta, this seventh grade student, not only started a Gay Straight Alliance in her middle school Twin Groves, she is now actively planning the inaugural Pride celebration for her hometown of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Her mom, Carolyn, who is also a teacher at her middle school, expressed, “I want this to be normal. It’s so important for these kids to be recognized and loved. And they shouldn’t have to come out, they should just be who they are.”
The Pintas already have support from Buffalo Grove town officials, as well as Indivisible Aurora, the community advocacy group who organized the Aurora Pride parade. They’ve already met with Buffalo Grove police to map out the official parade route.
As Molly says in her YouTube video, “Growing up in the closet is hard, but seeing that Buffalo Grove supports the LGBTQ community would probably make someone in the closet feel seen and accepted, which is sometimes all someone needs. My parents have pledged to help me make this happen. Now we need your help. We will need to raise $30,000 over the next year to make this dream come true.”
She goes on to say, “One of the most memorable things about the Aurora parade was that it was very family friendly. This is how we would want ours to be. We would like children, adults, elderly, and everyone involved! Please donate whatever you can to our cause and above all, please attend our parade next year! It would mean the world to me to see my hometown showing support for the LGBTQ community.”
Hoping to inspire other people to start their own pride parades, Molly’s next goal is to grab the attention of Ellen Degeneres, her role model, to help spread the message and inspire others to bring Pride into their own communities.
You can help Molly bring this Parade With A Purpose to her hometown by donating to the GoFundMe Campaign, where she has already raised over $10,000 of the $30,000 she needs.