Williamstown, Massachusetts town meeting-goers decided last week in a 175-90 vote to allow the LGBTQ+ Progress Pride flag to fly over town property. Amending the flag bylaw passed at the previous year’s town meeting was the most heavily debated article of the night, according to iBerkshires.com.
Reports iBershires.com:
Mount Greylock Regional School sophomore Jack Uhas of the middle-high school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance opened the discussion with a brief statement, telling the 295 voters who checked into the meeting that, “to many, the flag is a symbol that, in our town, they belong.”
The speakers addressing the article fell roughly in line with the ultimate vote, with eight speaking in favor and four against passage.
Justin Adkins talked about his experience as, to his knowledge, the only out trans individual in the town of about 7,700 when he moved to Williamstown in 2007.
“Most people, when I moved here, had never met a trans person,” Adkins said. “Today, that is not the case. Today, many people in this room are free to say who they are.
“LGBTQ-plus youth still face a world where their basic being is questioned and legislated. … Flying a flag is, really, the least we can do.”
Adkins said there were many LGBTQ families and families with LGBTQ youth who moved to Williamstown or were thinking of moving to Williamstown because they think it is a welcoming community.
“They are watching us tonight,” Adkins said.
Read the complete iBerkshires.com story here.
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