For the first time, actually, ever, the Pride flag flies from Bridgwater Town Hall. Following requests from the LGBTQ community to fly the flag the council unanimously agreed. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Questioning Month (LGBTQ Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honour the 1969 Stonewall riots and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for everyone lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning. The symbol of the movement is the Pride Flag -In the late 1970s, Harvey Milk – a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the first openly gay man elected to public office – asked his friend Gilbert Baker to design a symbol to represent (what was then referred to as) the gay community. There are many variants of the Pride flag today with extra colours and symbols to depict other elements, but the town council has chosen to fly the original.
Bridgwater Labour Party Women’s Officer Meg Boucher said “Pride month is a celebration of acceptance. We have come so far in the journey towards inclusion but there is still a long way to go and many people still face prejudice and abuse because of their sexuality. That’s why Pride month is so important, we celebrate the wins and we challenge the wrongs in solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community.”
Why Pride? Why Now?
Kate from Burnham added “The Pride Flag, and the Pride events, are solidarity events. This year many of us will remember that the Government in Uganda has recently passed some extreme anti-LGBT+ laws. Every Pride goer will be another matchstick in the growing tree of opposition to these laws. Pride is going back to its roots, of protesting for LGBT+ liberation and rights. Perhaps there should be a Pride flag with a white circle and crested crane depiction – which would show solidarity with LGBT+ in Uganda. (The crested crane on a white circle is the centre of the Ugandan flag, which itself is stripes of black, gold and red).
According to IGLA (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), in 1989 there were 115 jurisdictions, worldwide, where being LGBT+ was a crime. This number has gradually reduced, and currently there are 65 jurisdictions where there is still a criminal sanction (ranging from fines to the death penalty) for being LGBT+. Of course, some countries have a hostile attitude to LGBT+ people but don’t have specific criminal laws – Russia is a well known example. The ILGA database can be found here:
The Pride flag is an important symbol, that helps LGBT+ people feel part of the wider community. It is, however, also a symbol of a commitment to human rights.”