Mamaroneck 'We Say Gay' Rally Set To Oppose Anti-LGBTQIA+ Legislation

MAMARONECK, NY — The 17-year-old high school student who has organized a protest to show solidarity with schoolchildren being stigmatized by lawmakers around the county said the event will be a chance to help people understand just how tough statehouses are making things for LGBTQIA+ kids.

Warning "decades of progress towards equality is at stake," Rye Neck High School senior Jackie Lynch said the "We Say Gay — Mamaroneck" event is a direct response to recent legislation in Florida and elsewhere. She said she hopes the march and rally at Harbor Island Park on April 10 will help energize the community to answer the recent wave of anti-LGBTQIA+ actions by lawmakers.

"This is something, I knew I needed to do," Lynch told Patch. "I don't think people understand what is going on and I wanted to do anything I could to help stop this trend of hate spreading across the country."

Lynch's efforts have already drawn support from the community, most notably, Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy, who enthusiastically praised the demonstration on social media.

"Proud that this march will begin in Harbor Island Park!" Murphy wrote in a post on his Facebook page. "Our kids need to know and see that we stand behind them all and that laws that discriminate against anyone harm us all!"

Lynch said she contacted The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center for advice and consulted with the mayor and the police chief, but this remarkable young woman has almost singlehandedly organized an event that will bring the Sound Shore together to make a clear statement of support to those across the country right now who are dealing with the isolation of being told by elected leaders who they are is not acceptable.

Lynch said that she solicited the LOFT to provide a speaker to address the concerns about the troubling trend in a way that is both insightful and relatable for everyone.

"I didn't want to speak myself," Lynch explained. "This is something I am extremely passionate about this, but I wanted a speaker who could help educate people about the damage that is being done."

The "We Say Gay — Mamaroneck" events will take place at Harbor Island Park on April 10, starting at 2 p.m. More information about the rally and details about new and proposed laws targeting the LGBTQIA+ community can be found at the "We Say Gay — Mamaroneck" website.