Montclair’s Pride Flag raising ceremony set for June 4
Out Montclair President and Montclair Councilman-at-Large Peter Yacobellis, Mayor Sean M. Spiller and the Township Council invite the community to a Pride flag-raising ceremony at Town Hall on Friday, June 4, at 3 p.m. The event is in celebration of Pride Month, observed in June of each year to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising served as a catalyst for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.
“When I was young and trying to escape being bullied and marginalized, I found comfort and a sense of safety when seeing the pride flag flown outside of establishments. It meant that I was safe and welcome,” said Yacobellis. “Fast forward to adult life and now holding this position, I could never have imagined there would be a day when I would raise a Pride flag at the seat of power in my hometown.”
This year, the town will raise the Progress Pride flag "to broaden that signal of safety and inclusion even further so that our trans and non-binary citizens and LGBTQ people of color may feel even more affirmation in their hometown too. Let this be the clearest symbol that all are welcome here,” Yacobellis said.
The progress pride flag adds a five-color chevron to the classic rainbow flag to represent marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color, along with the colors pink, light blue and white, which are used on the Transgender Pride flag.
“It is important for us as a community to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and support LGBTQ+ rights,” Spiller said. “As we raise the new progress pride flag, we also show our solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by the inclusion of black and brown stripes to represent diversity and inclusivity, and our support for the trans community with light blue, pink, and white. We want to demonstrate to the world that Montclair is a place where difference and diversity are not simply accepted, but truly embraced by our community.”
Light refreshments will be provided by Paper Plane Coffee after the ceremony.