Flag Raising Ceremony Kicks Off Pride Month In HoCo; Celebrate With Pride Prom, Activities

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Pride Month started Thursday and continues through June with several ways in Columbia and Howard County to participate in the celebration of LGBTQ culture, rights and identity.

Friday morning, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball kicked off the celebration of Pride Month with a proclamation and inaugural Pride flag raising ceremony in front of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. It is the first time the Pride Flag has ever been flown at the seat of county government in Howard County.

“This meaningful action reflects our commitment to supporting, celebrating, and standing with all LGBTQIA+ individuals in Howard County, affirming that they are a vital, welcomed and celebrated part of our community,” Ball said. “Howard County is a place where we don’t just tolerate diversity and inclusion, but we celebrate it. That is why I am proud to live in a community that supports, uplifts and includes our LGBTQIA+ neighbors.”

In 2019, Ball established Howard County’s first ever LGBTQIA+ Workgroup. Since then, the workgroup has partnered with county agencies, nonprofit organizations and other community groups to facilitate an environment of inclusion, communication, understanding and respect throughout the county. That same year, the county executive partnered with PFLAG of Howard County and HoCo Pride to host the county’s first ever PRIDE Festival.

“We are living in a time where hate crimes and policies against the LGBTQIA+ community are rising,” said County Council Chair Christiana Rigby. “When we see how other communities treat members of our LGBTQIA+ community, it becomes even more important to highlight those differences and affirm our shared humanity.”

“The flag is important to so many people, and it was important to me. I was one of those kids who grew up in school and didn’t know anybody, had no support, didn’t have one person to talk to. Seeing the flag equaled safety. It equaled that I belonged,” added Jeremy Browning, administrative director of the MD Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs.

Building upon the workgroup, Ball and the County Council established the LGBTQIA+ Commission in 2022 to advance policy and systemic changes for those with different gender and sexual identities. The commission is made up of 19 voting members and is seeking high school and college student members in the new year.

“Today marks a joyous time and we plan to celebrate to our heart's content at the many Pride parades and festivals set to take place,” said Chris Hefty, the chairperson of the Howard County LGBTQIA+ Commission. “We will remain steadfast in our mission to better the livelihoods of LGBTQIA+ persons, families and allies that call Howard County home.”

Other events planned for Pride Month in Howard County include:

• OEC Pride June 3-4 in Historic Ellicott City. Join the Mascara Run, explore the art fair, enjoy drag story hour, listen to live music and more.
• HCPSS Pride Prom will be held on June 10. The Howard County Public School System invites all HCPSS high school students to attend the inaugural Pride Prom at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center. The George Howard Building will be lit in rainbow colors in celebration of Pride Prom.
• The Howard County Library System will be celebrating Pride Month throughout June with more than 25 events incorporating crafts, poetry, film and more.

Pride Month occurs during June in deference to the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the struggle for equality among people who identify as LGBTQ. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common, but patrons fought back, resulting in days of violent clashes across Greenwich village.

The observance started as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June, but soon grew to the point that June calendars are packed with pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts across the nation and around the world.

Pride Month 2023 occurs amid a historic surge in bills targeting LGBTQ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Nearly 500 pieces of legislation nationwide have been filed in state legislatures this year, according to the ACLU tracking.

“LGBTQ people are under fire, unlike possibly ever before and across virtually every aspect of our lives,” Logan S. Casey, a senior researcher at Movement Advancement Project, told The Washington Post in April. “This is part of a very clear and identifiable national effort in state legislatures that is and has been going on for years — and it’s really culminating this year.”