KINGSTON, NY – About two dozen people gazed high to the sky as the pride flag went up in Kingston on Monday. A crowd gathered just outside the Ulster County Government building to mark the first day of Pride Month.
While Ulster County keeps its pride flag up year-round, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger says ceremoniously raising it on June 1 sends a strong message that LGBTQ+ communities belong in the county.
“[Pride] is not just a day or a month. It is an expression of who we are as a county. It’s an expression of what we believe in, that everyone should feel safe, should be able to thrive, [and] should not have to worry that they’re being discriminated against,” said Metzger.
Metzger read a proclamation in celebration of Pride Month’s legacy and the continued challenges facing queer and transgender communities today.
Phoenix Laxton, program coordinator at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Center, said seeing the pride flag makes him feel seen and safe.
“In moments when I’m driving and I see the pride flag, a flag that not only resembles me but my chosen family and community, I feel my shoulders relax a bit and I take a deep, gentle breath,” said Laxton. “Ulster County is filled with queer and trans folk. You can see them walking all over uptown Kingston. We should feel welcome and protected in the place that we call home.”
This year’s Pride Month comes as the Trump administration has made sweeping federal proposals to roll back LGBTQ+ protections, including gutting medical care for transgender youth and ending gender identity in federally funded housing and shelters.
Eve Papp, board president of the New Paltz Pride Coalition, says these federal threats are just the beginning. She urged the judicial branch to step in to protect LGBTQ+ communities across the country.
“To the Supreme Court, which we know is biding its time to segregate us, do your job. One nation with justice for all, not just those willing to pay,” said Papp. “We are screaming for help, and half of the people are standing around not paying attention while the other half is asking us what to do… as they say, if you are not being hit by the stones thrown at us, you are not standing close enough.”
Kingston will celebrate its annual Pride March hosted by the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center on Saturday, June 6.
Image: Ulster County local officials, community leaders, and residents gathered in Kingston to raise the pride flag on June 1 to kick off Pride Month (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)