Harrisburg, PA - In honor of Pride Month and as a nod to the power of peaceful assembly, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has ordered the display of Pride flags and a rainbow of lights to be broadcast against the Capitol from the second-floor balcony off his office.
“This weekend, we’ve seen protests across the country in response to the murder of George Floyd,” Fetterman said. “I would like to remind Pennsylvanians that Pride started as a protest in June of 1969. As demonstrators take to the streets in multiple cities to raise awareness and oppose racial injustice, we must remember the Black transwomen who were there at the beginning of the Pride movement and who continue to be murdered right here in the United States.”
Through decades of public demonstration, the LGBTQIA+ community has made numerous advancements toward inclusion and acceptance. There is more to be done, however.
“It’s still legal in Pennsylvania to deny someone an apartment or refuse to bake them a cake,” Fetterman said. “This is unconscionable and absolutely ridiculous. Our state legislature needs to change our Human Relations Act to ban discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Fetterman said he’s proud to use his office balcony’s prime real estate, front and center of the Capitol in Harrisburg, to highlight the tenets individualism and independence that are central to the character of Pennsylvania.
The large American-made flags include the Philadelphia People of Color Inclusive Flag and the Transgender Flag.
The rainbow of lights will shine against the Capitol this week, tonight through Friday morning, while the flags will remain until the end of the monthlong celebration.
The Philadelphia People of Color Inclusive Flag originated in the city and adds the colors brown and black to the rainbow flag to represent gay Philadelphians of color who had faced discrimination.
The Transgender Flag, designed by transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999, symbolizes a spectrum of identities. The pattern is designed so the flag looks correct regardless of how it’s flown, symbolizing the desire of people to find correctness in their own lives.
MEDIA CONTACT: Christina Kauffman - 717-712-3316
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