New London LGBT Festival Begins When Mayor Returns from White House Reception

June is LGBT Pride Month and this year, New London's Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio and his partner Todd Ledbetter, who are legally married in the State of Connecticut, were invited to attend a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride Month reception at the White House on Thursday. Upon their return, the City of New London will launch its inaugural pride festival. 

"As a native New Londoner, I will be proud to join my partner in representing our great City," said Ledbetter in a statement released on the Mayor's Facebook page. "As a board member of outCT (a New London based LGBT pride committee), I am equally proud to represent the broader southeastern Connecticut LGBT community as we prepare to inaugurate our own pride events this year in New London. These events will grow our economy and celebrate our diverse community."

In 2013, outCT formed in New London. The group of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queers and their allies first came together to plan a New London Pride Festival, and evolved into a non-profit, grassroots organization that seeks to build a community through educational, cultural and social programming that promotes acceptance, tolerance and understanding of all sexual orientations and gender identities, according to the statement. 

OutCT will host its official coming out party on Friday, June 14th at Frankie’s Place on Tilley Street beginning at 4:00pm. Plans for New London’s LGBT pride festival events include a film series, panel discussions with religious and military establishments, and an art exhibit.

New London is the only city in southeastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island that boasts two gay bars, i.e. Frank’s Place on Tilley Street and O’Neill’s Brass Rail on Bank Street, both with strong footholds in the LGBTQ community. There is even a softball league with LGBTQ teams that play all summer called Southern New England Softball, according to the statement.