Why We Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride in Mahwah

We want all our residents to feel truly welcome in their town. We especially want all our children and youth to grow up feeling loved, appreciated for who they are, and respected for their differences. The Mahwah Pride Coalition was formed to help promote inclusivity, awareness, and a positive hometown feeling for all our LGBTQ+ community members by hosting the 1st Mahwah Pride celebration.

Too often LGBTQ+ people have been made to feel separate and been preyed upon by the majority. Change comes slowly and acceptance can be hard won. At Ramapo Ridge and Mahwah High School, our LGBTQ+ students deal not only with the everyday pressures of growing up, but understanding and questioning how their genders and sexualities can be both different from the norm and still be accepted and legitimate. As a caring community, we need to proudly shout that Love is Love is Love! A person’s value and self-worth is not dependent on who they love but on the quality of who they are as a person.

We celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride during June in remembrance of the Stonewall Uprising that began June 28, 1969 in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a Greenwich Village club frequented by lesbians, gays and trans people who were not welcome in other places, as expressions of homosexuality were prohibited by law. The police raided the club and became violent as they attempted to arrest the patrons. In a series of skirmishes over the next six days, the lesbian, gay and trans patrons and neighborhood denizens fought back. This is generally considered to be the start of the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Click here for more information.

The Mahwah Pride Coalition is a non-profit, local group comprised of LGBTQ+ community members and allies who want everyone to celebrate and be proud of who they are. The 1st Mahwah Pride celebration will be Thursday, June 24th, 2021 from 6:00-8:00PM at Commodore Perry field (70 East Ramapo Ave, Mahwah). Find details about event entertainment, speakers, information and more at www.mahwahpride.org or on social media @mahwahpride. Everyone is welcome!