Pride Flag Dedication Tops Pride Month Celebration In Yardley

YARDLEY, PA —Pride Month continues through June, with several ways to participate in the celebration of LGBTQ culture, rights, and identity.

The borough will hold its annual Pride Flag Dedication from 6-6:30 p.m. Tuesday in front of Borough Hall at 56 S. Main St.

"We had a great turnout last year and hope to see the community show up again," Councilman David Appelbaum said. "The date is very special because the borough is partnering with the Lower Bucks Rainbow Room to host one of their amazing meetings right here in the heart of Yardley immediately following the flag-raising celebration."

The Lower Bucks Rainbow Room typically meets every Tuesday at their center in Langhorne for programs for all LGBTQ+ youth and friends ages 14-21.

But this year, the meeting will move to a private event room at The Vault for pizza, pride swag, and activities led by the Rainbow Room’s staff.

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 around the world are packed with Pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums, and concerts.

Pride Month 2024 occurs amid a historic surge in bills targeting LGBTQ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Over the last few years, states have advanced a record number of bills attacking LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth, the civil rights group said.

The ACLU said that while more states every year are passing laws to protect LGBTQ people, others advance bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.

Hundreds of pieces of legislation nationwide have been filed in state legislatures this year, according to the ACLU tracking.