Little Falls Raises Pride Flag During Fourth Annual Ceremony

By Tina Pappas

The Township held its fourth annual flag raising ceremony in honor of Pride Month in front of the Little Falls Municipal Building on June 1.

Pride Month is designated for the entire month of June in support of LGBTQIA+ rights, with celebrations and remembrances in cities and towns across the nation.

The ceremony was hosted by Councilman Chris Vancheri, who welcomed attendees and gave special homage to the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City. The incident took place on June 28, 1969, when the Stonewall Inn, a gay club, was raided by New York City police. It sparked protests and is considered by many to have lead to the modern day fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the U.S.

On-hand for the ceremony was Mayor James Damiano who held a proclamation, along with Council President Anthony Sgobba and Councilwoman Jayna Patel. Also in attendance was Police Chief Bryan Prall of the Little Falls Police Department (LFPD) and LT. Dawn Gilchrist, who is the LGBTQIA+ police liaison officer of the LFPD. Several members of the LFPD were also present.

Gilchrist spoke of the continued fight for rights and acceptance in the LGBTQIA+ community, emphasizing that approximately 500 bills this year have been introduced in Congress that can negatively impact the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. She said that in spite of this, the number of LGBTQIA+ police liaison officers has risen to 117 statewide. She commended Mayor Damiano and the Township Council, including the community for their continued support.

“This group works tirelessly for representation to the community,” she explained. “This is not just a triumph to raise this flag, but it’s also a reminder of the barriers that our community still faces today.

I’m very proud to work for a community that is committed to the inclusion of all of its members and want to thank the Mayor and council members for raising this flag and for their support.”

During his Mayor’s proclamation designating June 2023 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the Township, Damiano referred to the Declaration of Independence, stating that the U.S. was founded on the principles that all people are created equal and that “each person shall be afforded the equal protection of the law.”

“The LGBTQIA+ community has made great strides forward in equality, inclusion and acceptance, but that it has not been fully achieved,” he added. “We must practice these values and teach them to future generations.”

Damiano also discussed the anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the birth of the Pride celebrations. He spoke of the importance of commemorating the event and to continue the efforts to demand equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community, not only during Pride Month, but every month. He also shared how he felt discriminated against for being a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community during certain times in the past.

“I certainly felt I was being discriminated against because I raised this flag, and for me it was just moments so I cannot even imagine how those in the LGBTQIA+ community have felt for their entire lives,” he noted. “For decades and for generations they’ve been discriminated against.”

Damiano reaffirmed his support for everyone in the community, adding that to celebrate “Pride” there must be a continued effort to demand equal rights for all.

“I stand beside you in your fight for equality,” he further added. “We love you, and we’re here to fight for you and bring equality for you.”

Vancheri closed the ceremony with a quote from the first openly gay elected official to take office, Harvey Milk.

“He said, ‘It takes no compromise to give people their rights, it takes no money to respect the individual, it takes no political deal to give people freedom, it takes no survey to remove repression,’” Vancheri noted. “’Hope will never be silent.’”