First-Ever Pride Event Scheduled In Morris Township This Week

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — Officials in Morris Township are encouraging the community to join in the spirit of community and celebration at the township's first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride event.

All are welcome to the event Sunday to close out Pride Month, with festivities beginning at 10 a.m. at the Ginty Field gazebo across from Town Hall.

"We support our LGBTQ+ family, and friends and want to let them know that we are a stronger community together," officials said. "Help make our initial Pride event a great success by spreading the word."

The theme of the event (and of Pride Month overall in the township) is "Inclusivity = Stronger Communities," as Township Committee noted in a proclamation during earlier this month.

"We celebrate Pride Month not only as a time of festivity and joy but also as a reaffirmation of our commitment to justice, equality, and the protection of the human rights of all people," the proclamation said.

Pride Month occurs during June in part to commemorate 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 Manhattan, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common at the time, 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 around the world are packed with Pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts.

The county Pride Festival was this past weekend in Randolph, and several other communities including Mendham and Chester held events again this year.