Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Montgomery County residents celebrate Pride Month
Officials raise the Progress Pride Flag at the county courthouse
Several dozen people, many waving small rainbow flags, applauded as Montgomery County officials and members of the LGBTQI+ community raised the Progress Pride Flag at the county courthouse to celebrate Pride Month.
“We are here to celebrate Pride Month and the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex individuals, advocates and allies have made on history in the United States and here in Montgomery County,” Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, chair of the board of county commissioners, addressed a crowd that assembled outside the courthouse on Thursday.
Arkoosh said Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the leaders of the past and to recommit to the work that remains to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community is free of discrimination.
“Every day the rights of our LGBTQI+ communities continue to be at risk. This is why it is so important that we as government leaders stand up for all of the people we represent and push back on this hateful rhetoric,” Arkoosh said.
“This is not just about this month. This is about every single day because every person has the right to be respected, to be supported and to be celebrated and to feel safe and welcome and seen as their authentic self in our community,” Arkoosh added.
Lori Schreiber, the first openly gay person elected to office in the county when she was elected as an Abington Township commissioner in 2015 and who is now the elected county Clerk of Courts, and Alex Myers, the first openly LGBTQI+ member of Hatboro Council and a transgender advocate, raised the flag that will fly outside the courthouse during June.
The county first raised the Pride Flag in 2019.
In addition to the six distinct stripes — red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet — that have been the traditional rainbow symbol of the LGBT community, the Progress Pride Flag raised on Thursday also features black and brown stripes to represent people of color and baby blue, pink and white to represent the transgender community.
The ceremony included comments from Brittany Kohler, president of the Montgomery County LGBT Business Council, and Valentina Dejesus-Rosario, a community activist for the Queer and Trans Latinx community.
County Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. said he was pleased that many municipalities in the county also have joined county leaders and raised Pride Flags at the municipal level.
“We recognize the hard work the LGBTQI+ community is doing to help advance human rights and equity across the nation and the county,” said Lawrence.
Lawrence said county officials have expanded policies to prohibit discrimination and to embrace inclusiveness, including covering domestic partners in the county employee health insurance plan and implementing a paid parental leave policy that covers all employees regardless of gender identity.
Officials also noted Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes made history in 2013 when his office was the first in the state to issue marriage licenses for same sex couples.
“In Montgomery County, we want to make it clear that all are welcome and we support everyone, no matter their gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, or income level,” Lawrence said.
With the Pennsylvania General Assembly having stalled on statewide nondiscrimination legislation for several decades, Arkoosh said communities across the state have organized to enact local laws. As of May 2022, at least 71 of the state’s 2,562 municipalities have passed LGBTQI+ -inclusive local nondiscrimination ordinances.
“It should be our entire commonwealth. So I encourage all of you to continue to get involved in these efforts because there is so much work that needs to be done. But seeing all of you here today gives me confidence that
that we have got the momentum and the will to get these nondiscrimination ordinances across the finish line once and for all,” Arkoosh said.
Speakers encouraged attendees to get involved in equality issues at the local, state and national level to work toward and insist upon long-lasting, meaningful, impactful change.
“We continue that fight by raising our voices and our flags, letting everyone know we are here, we are Queer and we will not go or go backwards,” said Kohler as the crowd erupted in thunderous applause. “As long as there is injustice and inequality in this world it is both our duty and responsibility as members of this generation to never stop fighting for this generation and the next.
“For no one is truly free until we are all free. Happy Pride. Always be proud of who you are and always stand up for what is right,” Kohler added.
In addition to raising the Pride Flag at the courthouse, flags will be flying at all county offices and facilities to honor the LGBTQI+ community during the month of June, officials said.