By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — The City of Claremont has officially recognized the month of June as Pride Month. An official proclamation signed by Claremont Mayor Dale Girard also notes that the week of June 13 through June 18 has officially been considered Rural Pride Week 2022.
The document also states that, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity rights without fear of prejudice,” and that, “LGBTQ+ individuals have an immeasurable impact on our culture, civic and economic success and the city of Claremont is committed to supporting visibility, dignity and equality for LGBTQ+ people in our diverse community.”
Rural Pride Week 2022 will culminate on Saturday with the annual event Rural Pride, which will take place at Arrowhead from 12 to 3 PM. The celebration is hosted by the Rural Outright and SHINE departments of TLC Family Resource Center in Claremont. Nonprofit organizations will be in attendance at booths such as Turning Points, PFLAG, and Planned Parenthood. Rural Pride will also have a BBQ and Copperhead Line Dancing with dance instructor Conrad Farnham. The family friendly event features lawn games, a LGBTQIA+ Resource Fair, face painting, and kids activities.
“It’s really amazing to see Rural PRIDE, which started as a grassroots effort, flourish into a strong community event now in its fifth year. We’ve seen other small-town pride celebrations pop up in our region in the years since Rural PRIDE started, and I think it is so important to have these visible, vibrant, signs of support for the LGBTQ+ community. Especially as we continue to see legislative attacks against queer folks — particularly trans folks — across the county and here in the Granite State. Let us remember that there is no Pride if it is not intersectional, and while we should take time to celebrate and be in community now: our work continues,” stated Matt Mooshian, a Claremont City Councilor and one of the original organizers and co-founders of Rural PRIDE.
Pride month takes place all over the country to commemorate the Stonewall Riots. Stonewall, a historically gay bar in New York City, was the sight of a number of protests by the gay community in 1969. The protests began as a direct result of constant police raids on gay bars in the community and mistreatment of the gay community in general. A year after the Stonewall Riots the first Gay Rights Marches began in major cities. The Stonewall Riots are widely considered the catalyst in the movement for civil rights for all LGBTQ+ people in the United States, and the Stonewall National Monument was erected in 2016.
“Pride is a celebration of the inherent worth and dignity of LGBTQIA+ individuals and the right of every person to exist and love with authenticity and autonomy. Pride celebrations are important demonstrations of joy, diversity, and activism. Rural Pride offers an opportunity for LGBT+ folks and allies of the upper valley to celebrate each other and our unique and diverse community, and to demonstrate the positive power of inclusion, belonging, and love,” Claremont School Board member Whitney Skillen said of the event.
TLC Community Center has also done a number of other events commemorating Pride Month this week. This includes the Pride Flag being raised on the bandstand on Broad Street Park in Claremont.
In the past, the raising of the pride flag has been a contentious issue. In 2019 the Stevens High School student Gay-Straight-Trans Alliance Club got permission to fly the rainbow pride flag on the school’s flag pole, but was ultimately taken down after a number of complaints were placed by residents.
TLC also hosted Jackbox games at their location. On Thursday, Rocky’s Taqueria will be hosting board games to celebrate pride. Rural Outright will also be hosting extended events such as LGBTQIA+ Relationships -Recognizing Health and Unhealthy Signs on June 29th.
“I can say that the event has definitely had a positive impact on the youth of Claremont and the city overall. Out or questioning youth are able to interact with many successful LGBTQIA+ adults in a safe and accepting environment which in turn shows them that A, they’re not alone in their journeys and B, that regardless of how they feel now, it’s possible to grow up and live authentically,” said Claremont School Board member Joshua Lambert.
Rural Outright invites anyone that may want to donate or volunteer at any of their upcoming events to contact them via their website, or to stop in at their offices on Pleasant street.
Dylan Marsh can be reached at [email protected]
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