Maplewood Kicks Off Pride Month Events With Celebration This Weekend

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood and South Orange residents will come together starting this weekend for a slew of Pride Month activities celebrating "all LGBTQIA+ identities," according to organizers. Maplewood Mayor Dean Dafis — "Maplewood’s first out and proud LGBTQIA+ elected official," note organizers — will lead the way.

"As we shine a light on LGBTQIA+ existence as resistance through art, poetry, proms, picnics,
and parties, we celebrate how far we have come and recognize how much more there is to do to ensure our visibility and validity as citizens and communities," said organizers of the June events.

This Sunday, June 5, Dafis will usher in Pride Month with a MAPSO equality March and flag-raising.

“As my idols Harvey Milk and Bayard Rustin would say, even in the darkest of times, hope is not silent," Dafis said. "It is activated through our marches and rallies, created through our struggle, rooted in our love for one another, in peace, equality, and harmony. I’m very proud of our diverse Pride program this June."

The march begins Sunday at 12 p.m. at Ricalton Square. There will be a Youth Pride picnic after at the Gazebo on Springfield Avenue.

Pride Month traces its roots to and commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, or Stonewall Uprising.

On June 28, 1969, police in New York City raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the West Village. The raid sparked six days of protests.

Other Events, Starting Friday

Other events this month, starting Friday, include Drag Queen BINGO, a soiree, a "Say Gay" art show, a South Orange Downtown Pride party at a park, a Pride Prom, educational events, and more.

Visit MAPSO Pride '22 for more Pride event listings and updates.

And find out about the Maplewood South Orange Rainbow Youth Alliance's monthly movie nights here.

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