You will still find a Pride flag unfurled in front of Pinky Promise Coffee Roasters in Sturgeon Bay despite owner Sean Grorich seeing his sixth in three years get stolen.
The most recent event happened last week in the days leading up to Saturday's Open Door Pride Festival where a number of businesses and Martin Park experienced the same thing. It is nothing new for Grorich, who has had Pride flags stolen from his business since he first started to fly them for June Pride Month in 2020. This year, he hoisted the flag on an 11-foot pole to deter similar events from happening again. Instead, he filed a police report to put local authorities on alert just in case hateful activities were being planned for Saturday's Open Door Pride Festival. Grorich says while he knows people's acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community has improved, last week's string of Pride flag thefts shows there is still a way to go.
He hopes more businesses put even a small sticker on their window to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. As for Grorich's flag, he had a new one up within an hour of calling the police.
