RICHMOND, Va. -- For the first time ever, the Pride flag was raised at Richmond City Hall Friday morning to recognize the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.
The Pride flag, raised by Mayor Levar Stoney and LGBTQ advocates, will fly on the Broad Street side of City Hall through the end of September to close out Virginia Pride Month.
“LGBTQ Richmonders should know that this city stands behind them,” said Mayor Stoney. “No matter who you love or how you identify, you are a valued member of our community deserving of love, support and justice.”
The city chose to raise the Progress Pride flag, which incorporates black and brown stripes and the colors of the Transgender Pride flag.
“We chose the Progress Pride flag both for this moment and to represent our ongoing work,” said Mayor Stoney. “To build an equitable, inclusive city, we must move forward with intentional intersectionality. Nobody should be left behind.”
Stoney also issued a proclamation recognizing Virginia PrideFest weekend.
Today, leaders in Richmond's LGBTQ community helped me raise the Progress Pride flag over City Hall in recognition of a treasured RVA tradition: PrideFest. Even if we can't gather on Brown's Island, everyone driving down Broad will clearly see this city knows love is love. https://t.co/boE9JSLbGg
— Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) September 25, 2020
The Mayor was also joined by James Millner, Interim Executive Director of Virginia Pride, who presented Virginia Pride’s annual Firework Award, given individuals and organizations that are catalysts for change for the LGBTQ community.
This year's recipient was Black Pride RVA.
“This gesture of inclusivity sends a powerful message that this city’s LGBTQ residents and visitors are not only welcome here but are celebrated as strong and vibrant threads of the fabric of Richmond," said Millner.
