Local residents kicked off Pride Month with the flag raising, organized by Better Together Moorestown and Moorestown Pride.
The township held its fourth annual Pride Flag raising at town hall on June 4, an event organized by Better Together Moorestown and Moorestown Pride.
Mayor Quinton Law and Deputy Mayor Sue Mammarella, along with Councilman James Barry, joined the festivities.
“Pride is a time to be thankful,” said Rev. Jennifer Bradley of First Baptist Church of Moorestown. “It’s a time to be thankful for where we’ve come and it’s a time to be thankful for those who have gone before us and paved the way, who stuck their necks out and came out of closets back in a time when it was really, really scary to come out of the closet.
“But that’s not to say it’s not still really, really scary,” she added, “so we still have a lot of work to do.”
June’s Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan on June 28, when confrontations between police and LGBTQ-plus protesters stretched over six days, according to the Library of Congress. The purpose of the month-long observance is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally.
Current celebrations today include Pride parades, parties, concerts and other events. But Pride Month is also a time to mourn those who aren’t open about their sexuality but should be, according to Bradley.
“We mourn the people who are still in closets because they are so afraid to come out, many rightly so,” she explained. “We mourn those who said, ‘I can only stay in this closet,’ and realized that the closet is not a place for life and living.
“So we celebrate, we mourn and we are thankful.”
Ways to get involved in Pride Month outside of public events include learning about the history, struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ-plus community; supporting its organizations; advocating for its rights; and showing support on social media.
Pride Month is a platform for LGBTQ-plus individuals and allies to celebrate diversity and foster a sense of community and acceptance.
“Pride is often a loud, boisterous and crazy time,” Bradley noted, “but I think it’s a time when we need to pause and be silent and to celebrate quietly, to give thanks for those people in our lives who paved the way, to be thankful that we’re in a town where the flag is flying.
“It’s a time to pause and give thanks and remember those who aren’t here with us, but who should be with us.”
