LGBTQ Pride Flag Raising Set For Wednesday In Wayne Township

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne Township will host a ceremonial flag raising again this year to mark LGBTQ Pride Month, Mayor Chris Vergano said.

All are invited to attend the ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m. outside the town municipal complex (475 Valley Road). The township first began flying a rainbow flag for Pride month in 2021 and began holding ceremonies in 2022, according to previous Patch reporting.

Township Council also meets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday after the ceremony.

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.