Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Pride Month comment in meeting sparks tension
A comment surrounding Pride Month sparked tensions at this week’s Montgomery County Commissioners meeting.
Upper Providence Township resident Marlene Laska addressed the three-member board during public comment Thursday to express her opposition to Montgomery County observing Pride Month. Taking place each June, Pride Month “is a joyful celebration of all of the beautiful identities of our LGBTQ+ community,” according to the Human Rights Campaign website.
Pride Month was made a federal designation in 1999 to broaden the reach of celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. Locally, Montgomery County organizes a flag raising each year in Norristown.
Laska’s comments focused on “recommending that Montco not be involved with any Pride Month activities.” She said it “doesn’t recognize or give credit to this country that is a society of immigrants” and more weight should instead be given to public input on the matter.
“Put a poll out there that would ask voters whether they were in favor of a month-long Pride recognition, or whether we should recognize all types of cultures and people in this society by having a ‘People’s Month,’ recognizing all types of people with references to the fact that we are all Americans who are free and brave,” Laska said.
“I’m just going to say that we do a lot of work
around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging here in the county, and we are priding ourselves on celebrating our differences, and … as long as I’m chair, we’ll continue to celebrate Pride Month,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder. “And so while I recognize the comments, I think when we look at nationally, what our friends and neighbors from the LGBTQ+ community are facing, I have a responsibility as a friend, and as a neighbor, to recognize their plight and find ways to be allies and support them…”
As Winder spoke, a “boo” could be heard from the crowd.
“Please don’t boo, and let me just say, our commissioners’ boardroom needs to be a safe place where people can share opinions, but I will not be booed in this boardroom,” Winner said. “It’s unprofessional and unacceptable.”
Laska again interjected from the audience, calling for a poll to be displayed on the county website.
“I’m happy to talk about that,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Neil Makhija. “So the idea that we do a poll … we did a poll. It was last year’s election, and many of us ran on the principle of protecting the rights and equality of people in the LGBT community, and we now represent the majority of this board, at least the majority, if not unanimity.
“I think it’s really important to recognize that there’s a reason it’s Pride Month in that people in the LGBT community have been literally persecuted throughout history, and only in recent history have we made tremendous strides in equality, and it’s because people have been proud and loud about the fact that they deserve to be treated equally, and we’re going to stand by that and we’re going to celebrate proudly,” he continued.
Community health assessment
A community health assessment of Montgomery County is in the works, with a survey launching next week, according to Christina Miller, administrator of the Montgomery County Office of Public Health.
Those interested in participating can do so online or with a paper copy, Miller said. The survey will be available in 10 different languages.
Miller stressed in her presentation several reasons for a community health assessment. Along with identifying “inequities experienced among subpopulations within the community” and “community assets and resources that support health and wellness,” Miller said it aims to “describe the health of a community, the factors that contribute to health and wellness, and health needs.”
A steering committee was formed in fall 2023 as Miller said participants worked to identify key priorities and lay a foundation for the assessment rollout. Along with determining health status, quality of life, health behaviors, and other needed community resources, the assessment is “part of obtaining and retaining health department accreditation,” Miller said in her presentation.
Several county and regional partners were identified in these efforts. The community contingent included a number of organizations, including ACLAMO, Access Services, the Jaisohn Center, the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, the NAACP, and Temple University School of Public Health. Representatives from the Montgomery County Planning Commission and Department of Health and Human Services rounded out the county portion.
In addition to producing the survey, Miller said participants are working on “creating focus groups” where a myriad of topics would be discussed that range from “maternal and child health,” the “role of education and health and wellness” as well as “trauma of poverty, mental health and substance abuse.”
Once the survey is published, outreach efforts are expected to continue through the spring and survey findings should be revealed this summer. Visit www.montgomerycountypa.gov/CHA for more information.