Fayetteville, Manlius hold Pride Month ceremonies

TOWN OF MANLIUS, VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – A pair of Pride Month ceremonies were hosted by local municipalities last week to kick off June with flying colors.
Though the same date on last year’s celebration brought with it a downpour, the Village of Fayetteville held its ceremony at 8:30 a.m. June 1 under a blue, sunny sky.
The commemoration began with the reading of two proclamations in front of the village hall on East Genesee Street, one signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and recited by her office’s regional representative Tracy DiGenova and one shared by Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson.
“Our state will always be a haven for the ensured safety, respect, and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community and a leader in the fight for equality and freedom of identity for every person,” DiGenova said.
She said the governor’s office is committed to both advocating for a society “free from institutional injustice, prejudice, bigotry, and bias” and pushing for support for people identifying as transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary to live their lives “free from discrimination, harassment, and violence.”
The mayor stated in his proclamation that the month of June is a time for remembering those who have paved the way for the LGBTQIA community, recognizing those who continue to do so not only locally but also nationally and internationally, and acknowledging that community’s “continued struggles.”
Both proclamations also pointed to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City as a “watershed moment” and a “rallying point” for the LGBTQ+ movement.
The village’s morning ceremony concluded with the raising of the Progress Pride flag with the help of Manlius resident Alicia Loomis.
“To be an LGBT member of the community and know that I’m supported where I live is really heartwarming,” Loomis said. “To publicly display that the village is accepting and welcoming of all people is really important.”
Fayetteville Trustee Mark Matt said the observance of June as Pride Month is “meaningful” in showing that members of the LGBTQ+ community can feel comfortable rather than “excluded or omitted” from village happenings.
“I want them to feel like they’re neighbors like everybody else, and they are,” Matt said. “Your neighbors are your neighbors.”
Later the same day at 4 p.m. the Town of Manlius held its Pride Month flag-raising ceremony next to the town hall on Brooklea Drive.
In front of the gathered group, Manlius Town Councilor Heather Allison Waters read a statement mentioning housing discrimination that has impacted LGBTQIA+ individuals and the exclusion of gay people from federal benefits like mortgage assistance in the past.
“LGBTQIA+ community members must be recognized and respected,” Waters said. “But in 2023, I believe that there is an urgent need to recognize and protect our transgender youth. I can guarantee—and I will six degrees of separation/Kevin Bacon it for you if you ask me to—you are already connected in some way to a young transgender or non-binary person in this community…please take the time to learn how to commit to being actively supportive and protective of them.”
Minoa resident Aspen Eden, who identifies as transmasculine, said it was an “honor” to be involved in the town’s Thursday afternoon ceremony as the person who raised the flag up the pole.
“It’s so important, especially now more than ever, to support and rally with our fellow LGBTQ, non-binary, people who are not even out—everybody deserves to have a voice, and even if just me raising this pride flag is a tiny part of that, I’m contributing to our community, and I’m proud to be here,” he said.
This year marked the Town of Manlius’ fourth official Pride Month ceremony and the Village of Fayetteville’s third.