City and Office of LGBT Affairs Kick-Off Pride Month with Celebration Party and New Pride Flag
Philadelphia – Today, Mayor Jim Kenney joined Amber Hikes, Office of LGBT Affairs Director, and members of the Mayors Commission on LGBT Affairs, at a kick-off celebration for LGBTQ Pride Month 2017. The celebration featured the unveiling of a new LGBTQ pride rainbow flag that includes the colors brown and black.
“Today’s event is historic on so many levels. This new flag is making its world debut right here in Philadelphia at City Hall,” said Amber Hikes, Office of LGBT Affairs Director. “We’re proud to host this celebration for the community to come together not just for Pride, but also to reinforce our strides towards combatting discrimination within our community, honor the lives of our black and brown LGBTQ siblings, and uplift our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion within our community.”
“I’m proud to join the LGBTQ community in the fight for justice, equality and stand in solidarity with all members of the LGBTQ Community,” said Mayor Kenney. “Together, we celebrate the history, contributions and influences the spectrum of the LGBTQ community has on Philadelphia, and this nation, as a whole.”
The Office of LGBT Affairs partnered with Tierney, a Philadelphia-based advertising and PR agency, to launch a new inclusivity campaign, #MoreColorMorePride. The agency designed the new pride flag by adding two new colors, black and brown, to the iconic rainbow pride flag that was designed as a symbol of unity by the late Gilbert Baker nearly 40 years ago. The flag was raised by community members at the celebration, and will be flown during the month of June.
More information about the flag and the campaign is found at www.morecolormorepride.com.
“The rainbow flag is an iconic symbol of the LGBTQ community. In the spirit of Gilbert Baker’s original design, we believe that adding black and brown to this historic flag will fuel a continuing dialogue about diversity in a community that celebrates inclusion, and help to acknowledge the contributions people of color make every day,” said Patrick Hardy, Tierney EVP, ECD.
This year, the city and Office of LGBT Affairs is celebrating those who are too often left out of narratives about the LGBTQ experience, particularly highlighting people of transgender/gender nonconforming experience, youth, and people of color for their countless contributions to the LGBTQ liberation movement from its origins to present day.
The Pride month kick-off reflects this focus by featuring speakers and leaders that have helped advance the fight for inclusion in the LGBTQ community, as well as a diverse and vibrant line-up of artists and entertainers including spoken word poet, Wordz, singer Kaleia Brown and the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus.
In addition to the kick-off celebration, the Office of LGBT Affairs is promoting and supporting activities throughout the city for pride month, and have released a round-up of events available HERE.