From Maplewood and South Orange townships:
MAPSO PRIDE is a time for Maplewood and South Orange and residents to come together in celebration of all LGBTQIA+ identities. As we shine a light on LGBTQIA+ existence as resistance through art, poetry, proms, picnics, and parties, we celebrate how far we have come and recognize how much more there is to do to ensure our visibility and validity as citizens and communities.
One June 5, Maplewood’s first out and proud LGBTQIA+ elected official, Mayor Dean Dafis, will usher in Pride Month with the MAPSO Equality March and Flag-Raising. Throughout June, Mayor Dafis joins fellow colleagues, activists, community groups, friends, and allies across the state in honoring the contribution of LGBTQIA+ equality advocates and celebrating community. Special events will be hosted by Maplewood Arts and Culture, North Jersey Pride, Maplewood Village Alliance, Family Connections Pride+, Rainbow Youth Alliance, and many more.
“As my idols Harvey Milk and Bayard Rustin would say, even in the darkest of times, HOPE is not silent. It is activated through our marches and rallies, created through our struggle, rooted in our love for one another, in peace, equality, and harmony,” Mayor Dafis says, “I’m very proud of our diverse Pride program this June where we will once again raise our voices, celebrate & activate, lock hands and hearts, have fun. We are PROUD.”
Pride is a month-long observance in celebration of LGBTQIA+ peoples across the globe and is commonly celebrated with marches and gatherings devoted to individual displays of pride and expression. Pride traces its roots to and commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, or Stonewall Uprising, which is often considered the start of the movement for LGBTQIA+ rights.
Visit MAPSO Pride ’22 for all Pride event listings and updates.
