In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, Mayor Tim Keller joined city staff and advocates in raising a new flag over Civic Plaza on Friday.
The flag includes a yellow triangle with a purple circle to acknowledge the intersex community as well as white, pink, blue, black and brown stripes. The black and brown colors represent marginalized LGBTQIA2S+ people of color and those living with AIDS/HIV and the blue, pink, and white represent the transgender community, according to a news release from the city.
Learn more about Albuquerque Pride events here.
“Raising the flag is important,” said Dawn Begay, the Acting Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. “It shows our LGBTQIA2S+ family that as a city, we stand with them.”
Marshall Martinez, the executive director of Equality NM, said the advocacy organization is honored to be invited to the “momentous kickoff for pride weekend.” The annual Pride Parade is on Saturday.
“We are grateful to the Mayor’s Office for their ongoing commitment to the values of Pride, inclusion and affirmation of the LGBTQ community,” Martinez said. “We will use Pride to recommit to our work to make Albuquerque and New Mexico a beacon of safety for Queer and Trans people everywhere!”
Last month, the councilors unanimously voted to update the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to include protection against discrimination on gender, identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy or childbirth.
“Pride is a month of celebration, and it is also an important reminder that the LGBTQIA2S+ community is still fighting against systemic violence and injustice across the county,” Keller said.“Here in Albuquerque, the City is doing more than ever to ensure our community enjoys access to opportunities and protection from discrimination, like updating our City Human Rights Ordinance to include gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and pregnancy.”
Read about LGBTQ Pride in The Paper. here.
(1) Tim Keller and the Office of Equity and Inclusion and LGBTQ advocates raise the Pride Flag on Civic Plaza (2) Mr. Gay World New Mexico Fermin Cervantes (3) New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus perform on Civic Plaza Friday morning. (Roberto E. Rosales / City Desk ABQ)
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