ABOVE: Project Pride and Sarasota officials including Mayor Hagen Brody (C) dedicate the organization’s Pride mural April 12. (Photo courtesy Project Pride)
SARASOTA | The City of Sarasota will formally recognize June as Pride Month on June 7, issuing a proclamation declaring it as such in a historical first.
Mayor Hagen Brody is scheduled to read the declaration during the evening’s City Commission Meeting. Project Pride, which spearheaded the initiative, installed a Pride-focused crosswalk and street mural in Downtown Sarasota earlier this year and is currently leading a month of Pride activities, will accept it.
“June 7th we will be proudly proclaiming June as Pride Month for the first time in Sarasota’s history,” Brody tells Watermark. “As we come back together again we are redoubling our commitment to ensuring Sarasota is an inclusive community where folks of all walks of life feel comfortable and appreciated.”
Officials see the proclamation as a testament to the city’s vision. Sarasota strives “to be a world-class community and treasured destination, with enduring natural beauty, charm and diversity.”
Brody says that by ensuring Sarasota is welcoming, “we are a stronger community … and I look forward to finding new ways to show that our pride IS in our diversity.”
The proclamation begins by noting that “civil rights represent a key component to our democracy and history as countless groups have fought to ensure their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness despite great personal sacrifice.” It subsequently notes that June commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots before turning specifically to Sarasota’s LGBTQ residents.
“LGBTQ members represent a vital part of the Sarasota community, which remains home to numerous advocacy groups dedicated to maintaining diversity and inclusiveness to promote a welcoming atmosphere within our city,” it reads. “While there remains much work around the globe to guarantee utmost protection of the LGBTQ community, our city remains steady in its belief that every human has the right to live and express themselves as desired.”
Read the proclamation’s text in full below:
THE CITY OF SARASOTA
Proclamation
WHEREAS, civil rights represent a key component to our democracy and history as countless groups have fought to ensure their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness despite great personal sacrifice; and
WHEREAS, the month of June commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots in which members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community sparked the LGBTQ rights movement in response to the increasing aggression and discrimination faced by law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, LGBTQ members represent a vital part of the Sarasota community, which remains home to numerous advocacy groups dedicated to maintaining diversity and inclusiveness to promote a welcoming atmosphere within our city; and
WHEREAS, while there remains much work around the globe to guarantee utmost protection of the LGBTQ community, our city remains steady in its belief that every human has the right to live and express themselves as desired;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Hagen Brody, Mayor of the City of Sarasota, on behalf of the Sarasota City Commission and the citizens of our community, hereby proclaim the Month of June 2021 as “Pride Month, a month of special importance and worthy of the recognition of the citizens of the City of Sarasota.
“We want to thank Mayor Hagen Brody, the Sarasota City Commissioners, the City of Sarasota staff and all of the other organizations and individuals that have worked so hard to achieve this important milestone,” Project Pride shared via social media. “This is just another example of the wonderful community we live within and continues to reinforce Project Pride SRQ’s mission to Celebrate, Unite, and Support Sarasota’s diverse community.”
“One of the reasons this year is so meaningful is because despite a global pandemic, progress cannot wait,” Project Pride President Jordan Letschert adds. He notes that’s why the organization has worked diligently to lead the effort and launch a month’s worth of activities throughout the city.
“Our Pridewalk street mural raised over $100k and has given us the financial resources to continue more social outreach and to continue a higher level of visibility in Sarasota,” Letschert promises. You can read more about this year’s events by visiting ProjectPrideSRQ.org and viewing details below:
