‘A celebration of freedom and love': Mayor Wu joins hundreds as LGBTQ+ Pride flag is raised over City Hall
Advertisement
In his second term in office, President Donald Trump has issued a slew of
'With all the misinformation and all the hate that is out there in the world right now, we in Boston are recognizing that pride, at its core, is a celebration of freedom and love,' Wu said.
At Monday's Pride Month kickoff, a range of generations came together to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights and publicly express their identities.
Advertisement
Paul Glass and Charles D. Evans traveled from Cape Cod to take part in the festivities. Both were at the Stonewall riots in 1969, and Evans said the couple has been 'fighting for equal rights and equality' since then.
'We're here to celebrate our heritage, our ancestry, and our delight to be connected with the LGBTQ+ community,' Glass said.
Pride Month has been celebrated since June 1970, the one year anniversary of the
Jack Madden, a student at Tufts University who identifies as gay, said it was important for him to be at the flag raising because of the attacks on LGBTQ+ people across the nation, specifically a
Madden said he appreciated the intersectionality of the event; the JP Honk Band at one point played 'Bella Ciao,' an anti-fascist song.
'It's like a counterculture, in a sense, to what is being propagated by the majority,' he said.
After the flag was raised to JP Honk Band playing 'This Little Light of Mine,' participants mingled and watched performances by LGBTQ+ identifying artists.
Anne and Trisha Marquez traveled to Boston from Indiana for a friend's wedding. Once they heard about the flag raising, they decided to come out in support.
Anne Marquez said the couple 'love the city of Boston and everything it does for the LGBTQ community.'
'There's a lot of hate and division in our country right now,' Anne Marquez said. 'If we just saw each other as human beings and just understood that we all have different paths, but in the end just want the same thing ... that's the important thing.'
Advertisement
Emily Spatz can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: Bruce Springsteen's Berlin concert
BERLIN (AP) — American rock star Bruce Springsteen, long a political opponent of President Donald Trump, performed before tens of thousands fans at a Berlin stadium where he denounced the U.S. administration as 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous'. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Epoch Times
13 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
Trump Admin Can't Detain Mahmoud Khalil on Foreign Policy Grounds, Judge Rules
A federal judge ruled on June 11 that President Donald Trump's administration cannot use foreign policy interests to justify detaining Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student who played a leading role in the pro-Palestinian protests that rocked the school across 2024. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident in the U.S., has proven that his continued detention is causing irreparable harm to his career, family, and free speech rights, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
When is Flag Day 2025? Is it a federal holiday? What to know
As the country prepares to salute the Army's 250th year with President Donald Trump's grand military parade in downtown Washington, D.C. on June 14, the day will also celebrate America's symbol of freedom: the American flag. A flag resolution was adopted 248 years ago, on June 14, 1777, according to the Smithsonian, that said, "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." However, it would be more than 100 years after the Continental Congress approved the flag, that Flag Day would be observed. The event was first observed in the late 1800s by schoolteachers around the U.S., according to the National Constitution Center, and in May 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14 Flag Day. Since then, the U.S. has honored the adoption of the stars and stripes in a number of ways, including carrying the flag in parades, displaying it outside homes and holding other patriotic events. Before 1916, a number of states and cities had started to observe the day. Flag Day, meanwhile, was declared a national holiday in 1949 by congressional legislation signed into law by President Harry Truman, who in a proclamation directed the U.S. flag to be displayed on all government buildings on that day. Here's what to know about Flag Day and its evolution over the years. Army's 250th birthday parade: How to celebrate Army's 250th year – and (unofficially) Trump's birthday parade Flag Day is on Saturday, June 14, 2025. The June 14 date for Flag Day remains the same, no matter which day of the week it falls. Though it's observed nationally, Flag Day is not a federal holiday. However, the president traditionally proclaims its observance every year. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, recognizes it as a state holiday. June 2025 holiday schedule: Summer solstice, Pride Month, Father's Day, Juneteenth, more The American flag, characterized by 50 stars and 13 stripes, will celebrate its 65th birthday on July 4. After Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, on July 4, 1960, the flag's new design was officially adopted. Contributing: Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY / Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flag Day 2025 date: When is it? Is it a federal holiday?
