Pine City Pride 20 years later: a proclamation about being yourself in rural Minnesota

Pine City Pride 20 years later: a proclamation about being yourself in rural Minnesota

(Photos courtesy of themncolumn, from "Pine City Pride 2012," Flickr.)Two decades ago, a quiet but radical act took place in Pine City, Minnesota. It didn’t involve picket signs, marches or sweeping legislative change. It was a picnic. In a park. With a rainbow flag fluttering from a folding table, a handful of brave souls gathered near the Snake River to celebrate who they were — out loud — for the first time in their rural town. That picnic wa…