A raising of the Pride Flag and reading of a proclamation will take place at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at Goodman Green in West Hartford Center.

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June is LGBTQ Pride Month and the Town of West Hartford will honor the rich diversity and contributions of its LGBTQ citizens Wednesday with a Pride Flag raising and reading of a proclamation.

Aaron Scott of the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus will perform at the ceremony. Mayor Shari Cantor and other town officials will be on hand at 8:30 a.m. on Goodman Green in West Hartford Center. The event is open and the public is invited.

History

On the night of June 27 and into the early morning of June 28, 1969, the New York City Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The raid ignited the Stonewall Uprising when patrons resisted police brutality. The event was a turning point in the gay rights movement. June would become a month of remembrance and celebration for the LGBTQ Community.

June 12, 2019, marks the third anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre in Orlando, FL. The mass shooting would take 49 lives in this LGBTQ establishment with scores others injured. It would be one of the worse hate crimes and mass shootings in US history.

At the end of May Barry Walters asked the West Hartford mayor and town manager if a Pride Flag could be raised on Goodman Green in honor of Pride Month. Walters also asked if a proclamation could be made, and both the flag-raising and proclamation were agreed upon.

The request was made as there are no formal acknowledgements or festivals in West Hartford for Pride Month. Walters felt it was important to make the request and the Town of West Hartford was very supportive.

An additional event in the form of a rally is currently in planning stages to take place on June 27 on the steps of the Town Hall Auditorium, to be followed by the West Hartford Human Rights Commission’s presentation and panel, “Stonewall at 50,” beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level meeting room of the Noah Webster Library.

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