June 9, 2021 by Carol Britton Meyer
Select Board members affirmed last night -- on the occasion of June being Pride Month nationwide -- their support for Hingham's LGBTQ+ residents -- including students, employees, vendors, and visitors -- and pledged to stand with them "to protect their civil rights and ability to live openly without fear."
Chair Joseph Fisher and fellow Select Board members Liz Klein and William Ramsey took turns reading from a LGBTQ+ Pride Month Proclamation referring to Hingham as a community that values diversity and inclusion and is committed to equal rights and opportunities for all residents.
The proclamation also recognized the "important contributions of its LGBTQ+ residents to the town’s history, culture, economy, and civic life" and stated that June 28, 2021 marks the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, "an event that gave rise to the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement in the United States."
In recognition of Pride Month, the Select Board is celebrating the accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community "towards securing important rights and freedoms, often through struggle and adversity" and is committed to remaining vigilant against continued oppression and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community and "against any new political efforts to overturn these accomplishments."
The board also congratulated the members of the Hingham Pride Project for their efforts to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and to support LGBTQ+ citizens, "particularly our LGBTQ+ youth, through the distribution of more than 4,000 Pride flags to individuals, families, and organizations throughout Hingham."
Also acknowledged were "the important efforts of the Hingham School Committee, the School Department leadership, teachers, and staff to support our LGBTQ+ students and to help all students meet core educational competencies that prioritize social-emotional learning, health and safety, and respect for others."
After reading the proclamation, the board proclaimed June 2021 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Hingham.
"It's wonderful seeing so many Pride flags around town," Ramsey said.