For 8th Year, Celebration Brings PRIDE In Framingham

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Rainbows will soon span Framingham, as the city celebrates PRIDE with a flag-raising ceremony and other events.

June is PRIDE Month, an annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ communities in Framingham and elsewhere. The city said it will kick off its recognition by hoisting a traditional rainbow-colored flag on Sunday, May 31, at 2 p.m.

Subscribe

The banner will fly throughout June, according to a news release.

Keynoting the kick-off event at Memorial Building Plaza in downtown Framingham will be Alford Green, director of the LGBT Asylum Task Force, an organization that supports asylum seekers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or queer.

The Rev. Debbie Clark of Edwards Church will serve as master of ceremonies for the celebration.

Other speakers include Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Jesse Edwards; Library Trustees Chair Heather Klish; Lily Pearl, a representative from OUT MetroWest; and student speaker Raine Dabrush.

Following the flag-raising ceremony, OUT MetroWest will host its annual OUT on the Block Party, 3-6 p.m., at the OUT headquarters, 160 Hollis St.

“Framingham is proud to celebrate PRIDE and reaffirm that our community is one where everyone is welcomed, respected and valued,” Sisitsky said in a statement.

This is the eighth annual PRIDE celebration in Framingham.

Worldwide, PRIDE celebrations date to June 1970, one year after the Stonewall Riots. That uprising – a reaction to the controversial “raid” of a gay-popular bar by New York City police – is often considered the start of the sexuality and gender equality movement.

President Bill Clinton designated June as PRIDE Month in 1999, and it was expanded in scope by President Barack Obama in 2011. Today, the month’s moniker has become an acronym, meaning “people respecting individuality, diversity and equality.”

See Also:

Framingham To Celebrate Pride Month