June marks Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community, and Utica kicked off the month-long celebration with the Utica Pride Festival on Saturday at Mohawk Valley Community College.
The second annual event featured nearly 100 vendors across the campus quad, showcasing local artists and community resources geared toward the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, live music and entertainment, speakers, and a pride walk across the campus took place.
“This is a day of celebrating each other, celebrating yourself and your loved ones,” said Ace Morreale, founder of the Oneida County Pride Association, which hosted the event along with the Mohawk Valley LGBTQ+ Workshop. “This has been a year’s worth of work and progress, and I’m so glad to see that we have more than quadrupled our size since last pride. We are coming up on our second year anniversary, and we’ve done so much in so little time, and I am so excited about this momentum and growing even more.”
LGBTQ+ Pride Month recognizes the history and ongoing fight for equality for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other gender identities and sexual orientations. Pride Month is also utilized as a way for LGBTQ+ people to embrace their authentic selves and serves as a way to increase acceptance and tolerance toward the community.
Throughout the day, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies experienced all that the festival had to offer, including Anastasia Mitchell, who said seeing the acceptance and inclusivity at the event had her feeling like “Cinderella coming from the ball for the first time.”
“It feels like I’m among my people. You don’t get that living in Utica every single day, so it’s nice to have it more condensed and in one spot. It’s so nice. I’m very grateful for it to be here,” Mitchell said.
The event also received recognition from both the city and state government, with Utica Mayor Michael P. Galime and Governor Kathy Hochul both issuing proclamations in recognition of LGBTQ+ Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community. A representative from the governor’s office read aloud Hochul’s proclamation, while Galime made an appearance to speak directly to his LGBTQ+ constituents.
The mayor, who previously was questioned by the LGBTQ+ community and its allies for enacting a policy change that wouldn’t allow the pride flag to be flown at Utica City Hall, reassured attendees of the pride festival that Utica will continue to be an accepting city for everyone who resides here, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.
“This community is welcome here. Everyone is welcome here. That is something I don’t want anyone to forget or ever question in the city of Utica,” the mayor said. “We have open arms to all, now and in the future.”
Original article by Thomas Caputo at Sentinel Media
Read More by clicking the links below:
City of Utica Pride Announcement
Sentinel Media – “Flag flack flies amid policy change in Utica”
