Lakewood Celebrates Pride Month, City Issues Proclamation

LAKEWOOD, OH — June is Pride Month in the U.S., a time to recognize the LGBTQ+ community and its struggle for equity.

To commemorate the month, Lakewood Mayor Meghan George issued a proclamation Tuesday officially recognizing Pride Month locally. The proclamation commits Lakewood officials to creating an "inclusive, safe, and welcoming place for all who live here...regardless of sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, race, religion, marital status, national origin or physical challenges."

In 2016, Lakewood passed ordinance 1-16, which barred discrimination against LGBTQ+ residents and workers. The legislation offers protections for LGBTQ+ people in the arenas of housing, public accommodation, and education.

Ordinance 1-16 also bans conversion therapy practices in Lakewood.

George's proclamation notes that while much has been accomplished, "much work is left to be done to ensure full inclusion, safety, equality, and acceptance."

Pride Month is celebrate in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a tipping point in the Gay Liberation Movement, according to the Library of Congress.

George's full proclamation can be seen below.