Pride Flag Raising Ceremony Planned In Jenkintown

JENKINTOWN, PA —The borough will hold a Pride Flag raising ceremony at Town Square on Friday evening.

The event takes place from 6–8 p.m., organizers said.

Live music will be provided by Celia, along with words from Malcolm Kenyatta, and inspiring messages from students in the Jenkintown High School GSA.

"Now more than ever, our young people need to know they’re seen, supported, and celebrated," officials said. "Pride is about showing up — for yourself, for our youth, and for our community."

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 around the world are packed with Pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums, and concerts.

Pride Month 2024 occurs amid a historic surge in bills targeting LGBTQ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Over the last few years, states have advanced a record number of bills attacking LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth, the civil rights group said.

The ACLU said that while more states every year are passing laws to protect LGBTQ people, others advance bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.

Hundreds of pieces of legislation nationwide have been filed in state legislatures over the past few years, according to the ACLU tracking.