Dedham Celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride On June 1

Press release from the Town of Dedham:

May 24, 2021

The Dedham Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with The Town of Dedham, is pleased to announce the first annual Dedham LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration at Dedham Town Hall, 450 Washington Street in Dedham, on Tuesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to this outdoor event.

“Dedham’s diversity is one of its great strengths. We’re thrilled that the Town has joined with the Human Rights Commission to recognize LGBTQ+ Pride Month in support and celebration of our many LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors,” says Joseph Borsellino, chair of the Dedham Human Rights Commission.

“On behalf of the Town’s leadership, we proudly support the LGBTQ+ community and look forward to celebrating Pride here in Dedham,” says Town Manager Leon Goodwin. “This flag serves as a symbol of strength, Pride, unity, and diversity in the community, and it serves as a promise that we are committed to make Dedham a community for everyone.”

LGBTQ+ Pride Month takes place around the world each June, in recognition of the Stonewall Rebellion of June 1969, when the patrons of a New York City gay bar, who’d long been the targets of harassment, fought back during a police raid and sparked a three-day riot. The following year, Pride Marches took place in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and in 1971, Boston followed, joined by London, Paris, Stockholm, and Berlin. The powerful civil rights movement that followed led to gay marriage and parenting rights, and protections in housing and employment. Today, however, as LGBTQ+ youth commit suicide at rates three times higher than heterosexual peers (Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, March 2020), and nearly 1 in 5 hate crimes are committed against LGBTQ+ individuals (as reported by the FBI in November 2020) the importance of recognizing and celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride continues.

Dedham’s LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration will include brief speeches by State Representative Paul McMurtry and a member of Dedham’s Select Board, a blessing offered jointly by Reverend Rali Weaver of First Church of Dedham, Father Chitral DeMel of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Reverend Cheryl Kerr of Allin Congregational Church, and Father Stephen Josoma of St. Susanna’s Church, and reflections on the personal meaning of Pride by members of Dedham’s local LGBTQ+ community.

The Celebration will also feature a performance by members of the Dedham High School chorus, a performance of the national anthem by Dedham Public Schools Director of Fine Arts Eytan Wurman, performances from the Dedham School of Music, and a trivia contest hosted by local resident Scott Mingels, featuring prizes donated by Big Bear Café & Espresso Bar, The Blue Bunny/Mocha Java, Café Fresh Bagel, Caffe Tremezzo, Cathay Kitchen, Dedham Community Theater, Horse Thieves Tavern, Kouzina Estiatorio, Pancho’s Taqueria, Risers, and Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream.

The Celebration will conclude with the raising of the LGBTQ+ Pride Flag in front of Town Hall, where it will hang for the month of June.

Dedham’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebration will continue with a series of events and special programming presented by the Dedham Public Library, including Pride Month Storytime readings, crafts for both teens and adults, and LGBTQ+ Basics & Beyond, an informative Zoom webinar for adults and teens from OUT MetroWest. For more information on events, please visit https://dedhamlibrary.com/pride/. For a history of LGBTQ+ Pride, visit https://dedhamlibrary.com/history-of-pride/

This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.