CHICOPEE -- The city has declared June Pride Month to recognize the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community.
The City Council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution to declare it Pride Month in Chicopee recently, said Councilor Joel McAuliffe, who proposed the idea.
“Given all that is going on nationally to roll back anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people and the banning of transgender troops in our military, I’m proud our city has taken a stance to speak out in favor of our LGBTQ friends and neighbors,” he said.
In explaining his proposal, McAuliffe said he knows “this simple resolution” is a small token. But, in quoting Robert Kennedy, he said every move gives people hope.
"We must show our pride in our actions, our policies and how we treat people in our everyday lives," he said.
The city first flew a rainbow flag to recognize Pride Month in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in 2016, days after the mass shooting in an Orlando, Florida nightclub that killed 49 people.
McAuliffe said most reactions were positive, but he remembers receiving one specific piece of mail that contained “deplorable comments” which proved bigotry was not dead.