By: Mike Koury | Woodward Talk | Published July 8, 2025
BERKLEY — As Pride month came to an end last month, the city of Berkley held a celebration for its LGBTQ+ community.
The fourth annual Berkley Pride Block Party was held June 22 in the downtown between Robina and Griffith avenues, south of 12 Mile Road.
The intimate but packed event featured residents and visitors in the heart of Berkley’s downtown checking out the vendor booths, taking part in games or celebrating.
Arleta Greer, of Saline, said she loves coming to the Berkley Pride Block Party because of how open it is with all the people and local groups, as well as how uncommercialized it is in comparison to other events.
Greer volunteers regularly at Pride events all around southeast Michigan as a member of Free Mom Hugs.
“One of the things that I love most is to make eye contact with people, smile, wave, give them a compliment if there’s something that I notice about them,” she said. “Then I would also offer hugs, because that’s what first pulled me into coming to Pride events, is giving hugs to people trying to model affirming, accepting parental behavior.”
Greer, a bisexual woman, said Pride events are one of the few places where everybody can be their authentic selves and not worry about the judgments and hatred of others.
“When you’re walking here, you can be whatever it is you are authentically. You can hold your girlfriend’s hand, you can wear whatever makes you feel good about yourself,” she said. “I love that people can be their authentic selves and can show their pride in being something different than what the society says that they need to fit into. If they feel different, they can be that here and they can be joyous about it. They don’t have to be afraid.”
Jeff Jones, of Clawson, has been to several Pride events. While not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, his daughter is gay and married and he comes to support her.
“I’m very supportive of her,” he said. “She is happy, so therefore I am happy. So, this is just a sort of a liberating kind of situation.”
Though his daughter wasn’t with him today, Jones attended Ferndale Pride with her and said coming to Pride events and supporting the community is very important.
“Family is important,” he said. “A lot of people have a disconnect with family, and luckily we don’t. It’s demonstrations like this I think that may start to get the people who have this hard wall built, they may decide, if they want to have a relationship with their children, maybe they should at least not resent them or resent their lifestyle and be more accommodating, if you will. It’s not the path they chose, it’s the path that someone else chose. And if they’re happy, then really where’s the negative?”