Pride Month: Freehold To Celebrate Friday With Flag-Raising

FREEHOLD, NJ — Freehold Borough will mark the beginning of Pride Month with a flag-raising Friday night at 6 p.m. at Borough Hall.

Mayor Kevin A. Kane and the Freehold Borough Council will officiate at the event, along with the Freehold Human Relations Advisory Committee.

All are invited to join the community celebration of LGBTQ contributions at Borough Hall, 30 Mechanic St.

The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally, according to the Library of Congress.

Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS.

Pride Month occurs during June in deference to the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the struggle for equality among people who identify as LGBTQ. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common, but patrons fought back, resulting in days of violent clashes across Greenwich village.

The observance started as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June, but soon grew to wider activities, including pride parades, parties, workshops and concerts across the nation and around the world.