GREENFIELD — The community gathered on the Greenfield Common Friday morning for a brief ceremony recognizing June as Pride Month in Greenfield.
“Each June, we take time to celebrate Pride and recognize the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to our great city,” said Mayor Roxann Wedegartner.
Wedegartner remarked on the difference in last year’s ceremony, a much smaller occasion given the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s good to see people coming here,” she said to the group of about 20 individuals before her. “It’s great.”
To commemorate the occasion, Greenfield resident Kacie Dean and Jason Phillips of the Department of Public Works raised the Pride flag, as the city has done annually for the past five years.
“The past year of change has been really tough,” said Dean, a member of Franklin County Pride. “But I must say it was made a bit easier seeing the work that Franklin County residents put in to stand up for and support the well-being and health and the rights of their fellow neighbors.”
She said that work will continue.
“We’re happy to say that as part of that work, in celebration of our LGBTQIA community, that we will continue our Pride celebration with a march and parade in September,” she said.
Franklin County Pride, which organizes the parade each year, is still working out final details.
“We hope to see you all there as well,” Dean said.
Wedegartner, who shared the results of a recent study by Gallup that showed support for same-sex marriage was at an all-time high of 70 percent in the United States, said the celebrations of the LGBTQIA community are not limited to the month of June.
“Each day,” she said, “let us take time to reflect on the progress we made as a country and in the commonwealth in regards to advancing LGBTQ+ rights.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne