Pride Celebration Coming To Chester, Hosted By Local Residents

CHESTER, NJ — This Pride Month, members of the Chester community have taken the celebration into their own hands by hosting a pride event this weekend for all Chester residents to enjoy.

Although Chester has not announced any plans to celebrate through the month of June, a group of residents has planned a "Chester Has Pride Event" which is scheduled for Saturday, June 17.

The family-friendly event will begin at 1 p.m. and run until 5 p.m., officials said. The celebration will take place at Colonial Prospect Lodge #24 Masonic Lodge, which is located at 370 Main St., in Chester.

Family fun includes a variety of crafts, one of which includes face painting. There will also be snacks, music, party favors and more for all to enjoy.

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 the point that June calendars are packed with pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts across the nation and around the world.

In the past, Chester Township has flown the rainbow flag during the month of June, but a decision was made in 2022 to reverse that previous allowance.

The Chester Township Council voted on a previous request to display the Pride Flag in 2021. The vote was 3-2, with yes votes from Brian Curley, Tim Drag, and Mike Inganamort and no votes from Joseph Di Paolo and Marcia Asdal.

As a compromise, the council decided to move the flag, an idea suggested by Curley, who thought it would suffice and amended his motion to approve the display of the flag on a flag holder near the door.

That decision was overturned in 2022, and the council argued that a recent Supreme Court case, Shurtleff v. City of Boston, No. 20-1800, raised enough concern to require that no flags other than the New Jersey and American flags be displayed in town.

When the decision was initially made back in June 2022, several members of the public spoke out, upset by the choice that the township was making. One resident, Jane Curtis, argued that the mayor should not have been able to overturn the decision that was voted on by the majority of the council.

"In full disclosure, I will advocate at that time that we only fly the American flag on the flagpole outside of town hall, which is consistent with my position last year. I think that the American flag flies for everyone," Inganamort said previously.