The Fall River Pride Committee held its seventh annual Pride Month flag raising ceremony. The event was emceed by Sean Aana, the committee's president and co-founder. Several speakers addressed the crowd, including Cree, a new board member, who shared their personal story of finding safety and acceptance in Fall River after moving from the South. State Representative Alan Sylvia also spoke, emphasizing the importance of cherishing the dignity of all people. A representative from Mayor Paul E. Coogan's office read a proclamation officially declaring June 2026 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the city of Fall River. During the ceremony, Sean Aana announced that all Pride events are funded by the community through fundraising and grants, not taxpayer money. Aana also announced a new initiative: three $500 scholarships in the name of Father James Medley for students at BCC, UMass Dartmouth, and Bridgewater State. Mikey, the committee's vice president, reflected on the group's founding seven years ago and called for the community to be 'louder and prouder than ever' in the face of political challenges, leading a moment of silence for past activists. The ceremony concluded with announcements for the 'Safe Spaces' youth prom and the 7th annual Pride Festival, followed by the group gathering to raise the Pride flag at City Hall.
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Council
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Hi everybody and welcome to our seventh annual flag raising.
0:08For those of you who don't know me, why not? Um, no, but my name is Sean Aana.
0:12I'm born and raised here in Fall River and I have been the president and I've had the honor of serving as the president of the Fall River Pride Committee for about the last seven years as I was one of our founders. So, we're going to get to have a couple of people going to be able to make a couple of remarks. You'll hear from me. You'll hear from my vice president. You'll hear
0:28from representative the city office and a few of my other board members and then we will all head down and we will raise the flag together. So to move right ahead I want to introduce one of our pride board members new to the board.
0:40They are a fabulous human being. They're going to have a fabulous little speech for you. I want to invite up.
0:50Hello. I'm Cree. I use they them pronouns and I've only been in Fall River for just about two years coming this August. I came up from the south where being yourself was definitely a threat of being a crime down there. And being able to actually live a life and take a breath of relief up here is significant. It's something that I think a lot of us might take a little bit for
1:15granted knowing we're in a blue state, knowing that there's some sanctuary cities nearby when down south if my top surgery scars were seen around children, I could be put in prison for that. So, it's important for us when we raise this flag to understand it's not just a flag of colors, but a flag that represents this is safe. We share our pain. We share our joy and our growth and our
1:41education of others. And when I first moved up here and I saw the rainbow flags and I saw the rainbow crosswalk that I got to help repaint not too long later, it really helped me feel at home and felt like I could be my authentic queer self. So, I want to thank you all for coming here today, for helping us raise our flag. And I hope that you guys all raise your flags, not only loud and
2:05proud for today of June, but for the entire year, because we're only queer for one day. Heck no, we're queer all the time. And having our flags helps to share our love and our acceptance for everybody to know. So, thank you again for being here.
2:26Thank you so much, Cree. Um before I welcome up the next person, I want them uh I'm so happy to have them here. One of our local representatives come out again. What that means to our community is invaluable. And just to kind of know just for some of the people out there who may be listening, the flag raising, the crosswalk festival, it costs $0 in tax fund. It actually is created by the
2:48Fall River community, by the fall pride community through fundraising, through grants, through outreach. And we've been able to build all of this because we have that community cre was talking about. So to um I want to take a special moment and round of applause and introduce Representative Alan Sylvia to make a couple remarks.
3:10Thank you so much. My pleasure.
3:13Good afternoon everyone. Um first of all uh I'm honored to be here.
3:19Yesterday we celebrated Pride in Boston.
3:22Um, I want to say that I'm joined by Representative Carol Fiola's office and Monica from my office. Um, it's important in our community that we cherish and respect the dignity of all people, no matter their sexual orientation.
3:39It's so important for all of us and I'm so glad FRTV is here because it's important that we do that. Um, you know, I'm sure the pastor is here, but uh, he would agree with me that, uh, love is love, and we need more of that now. We need more of that now than ever if we watch what's going on in the world. So, congratulations, and uh, enjoy this uh, very important few moments. Thanks.
4:12Um, so, hold on. I'm just going to turn back around. That's not just any pastor.
4:16That's Father James Medley of the Church of the Holy Spirit of which the Pride Committee is a ministry of. So, I want to take a moment to round of applause and also one of our first special announcements. We did so well with our funding this year. We have created three $500 scholarships in Father James' name.
4:36One to go to a student at BCC, one to go to a student at UMass Dartmouth, and one to go to a student at Bridgewwater. So, we'll be releasing that application this weekend and we are super looking forward to that. That's what it means when you build community. That's what happens when you find your allies and that's what happens when we create the spaces that let us come together to do a
4:56scholarship, to do a flag raising, and then to also have the mayor's office come on up and read our proclamation for Pride Month.
5:11Good afternoon everybody. On behalf of the mayor's office, I will be reading the proclamation.
5:20Whereas the city of Fall River cherishes the value and dignity of each person and appreciates the importance of equality and freedom. And whereas all are welcome in the city of Fall River to live, work, play, and every family in any shape deserves a place to call home where they are safe, happy, and supported by friends and neighbors. And whereas the city of Fall River denounces prejudice
5:48and unfair discrimination based on age, gender identity, expression, color, religion, race, and marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical attributes as an affront to our fundamental principles. And whereas the city of Fall River appreciates the cultural, civic, and economic contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus LGBTQ plus community, which strengthens our social
6:20welfare. And whereas it is imperative that young people in our community, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, feel valued, safe, empowered, and supported by their peers and community leaders. Now, therefore, it is resolved that Paul E.
6:40Coogan, mayor of the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, hereby proclaim June, 2026 as LGBTQ plus Pride Month. Thank you.
7:05Thank you so much.
7:08So again, I we just want to reiterate like cre talked about before like the fact that our city is not just saying that they want LGBT rights, they're putting it in writing. We're raising a flag about it and you can catch the city lights turn on city hall later this weekend as well. So I have another speaker and one of my many right hands at the fall over pride committee because
7:29it takes a village, right? Our board member is comprised of our board is comprised of 12 people all working together to create these magical events.
7:38So it is with my honor and my pleasure to introduce to one of my many right hands the vice president of the fallover pride committee Mikey.
7:50So, just to add to that, um I remember just seven years ago uh me and Sean uh sat at a local uh coffee shop um just down the street here on Befford Street um and we created this this fall of a pride committee. Um so we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for that um sitting down um with a group of people at that coffee shop. Um so today we
8:12celebrate Pride as a time of visibility, dignity, and joy. We we honor the coverage of LGBTQ plus people who have fought to live openly, love freely, and to be treated with fairness and respect.
8:26We are starting to lose that respect with certain administration in Washington. We need to get out, be louder, be prder than we ever have before. Pride is more than a celebration. It is a reminder that every person deserves safety, belonging, and freedom to be themselves. It also keeps us showing up for one of for one of another at events and within the within the LGBTQ plus community,
8:56especially for those whose voices are still often ignored. To everyone here, you are valued. You are valued. You are seen and you are worthy of respect. May pride be a certain a celebration of who you are and promise to keep building a world where everyone can live pr live with pride. Remember pride started with an attack on our community and a riot.
9:19Let's not forget those who are no longer with us especially the ones who have fought to get where we are today and are no longer there. So please have a moment of silence.
9:34And I also want to thank the city and the uh state house for being a strong ally um for this movement. Thank you.
9:46All right. So before we get into my closing remarks here, I just want to remind you all that there are opportunities to get involved. Right. So the Fall River Pride Committee has partnered with Greater Fall River Recreation for the last four years with a program called Safe Spaces. So I see a lot of youth here today. safe spaces in an outreach program for anyone in the city ages 12 to 24 to get a mentor to
10:08find community to be connected with the pride committee. We actually we do field trips. We've been to Martha's Vineyard.
10:14We've gone to Petown. This year we're doing a whole water park and inflatable uh park. So, there's all sorts of opportunities in addition to next Friday if you want to know more about safe spaces is our youth prom where you can come and be yourself at a prom right in a safe space over at recreation. That'll be 6:00 to 900 p.m. dress however you like. We have food. We have a DJ.
10:37Interested family and friends can come if parents are interested or the the your child or if you are um a youth and you are interested in signing up. Just got to bring a parent or guardian with you to sign in and then we can talk about further that program. But we want to finish this program. I just had to plug. Sorry. Okay. So, we want to thank everyone for really coming out to the
10:57PLA the the flag raising event today cuz this event might seem like a small thing, but the impact it has on LGBTQ plus community is really colossal. Never did I think when I was a little queer kid here in Fall River that I would be standing dressed as I want to be dressed pink the way I wanted to be pink and be able to speak to LGBT issues for the
11:21city and on behalf of the fall of a pride committee we've built together.
11:26Our flag represents the growing diversity and it shows Fall River is committed to a deeper understanding of the human experience. That's what we are. No, we're not an alphabet mafia.
11:38What has happened through events like this is people have now been able to feel comfortable and safe enough to express our differences. Like this is all and has always been about love. It's how we love ourselves and find ourselves. It's how we love others and form loving families. That's what this is about.
12:01Life and nature do not and have never existed on strict binaries. Right? It has never been black and white. Okay?
12:10It's never been black and white. That was a way that our minds needed to simplify things when we didn't quite understand a complex world. Right? Quick question. How many countries are on Earth?
12:24177.
12:25It depends on who you ask. Trick question. There's 179 to 207, depending on who you ask, has the right to sovereignty, right? How many languages are spoken on Earth?
12:38a lot estimated about 5,000 right across those couple hundred countries. Indonesia alone speaks over 250 countries. 200 I'll be right 250 languages in Indonesia alone. Right? So it's not that there's one way of looking at things or there's one way to be. That's how the alphabet mafia came to be because there are differences across sexuality and gender for a long time. Our history is there
13:06for those who seek to find it. So, of course, I would be remiss if I did not plug our 7th annual Pride Festival happening this Sunday on what?
13:19I'm sorry for the cringe. It's just easy to remember. It is this Sunday, June 6.
13:24Uh June 7th. Um I'll be all right. I'm losing my mind. 67. June 7th. 67th.
13:30Okay. That's this coming Sunday. It's at the What's it's at the city gates 12 to 6. We've expanded our time. We've added bands and wrestling to our entertainment. We have more food options and tablelers than we've ever had before. Our theme louder than ever couldn't be more important as we witness the sheer volume of legislation aimed against us while the body politic grows more hateful within their ignorance. If
14:01you need any proof of this, please check any post about us on any Fall River page. Right? But the thing is, we are here to stay. We've always been here and we always will be. Hate cannot and will not drive us back to the fringes of society where we were only understood as mentally ill. Everyone I know has struggled with mental health. That's how experience of the human life works.
14:30We remedy this with better connections, building community, and finding common ground despite our sociological and cultural differences. That's how we get louder than ever. So now, as we go down here, we're going to raise the flag together. Watch out for the lights like I mentioned tonight over on city hall.
14:50Enjoy the pride and all of the pride month. And we'll see you Sunday. Thank you guys all so much.
14:59So, if we want to let our camera crew move down to the front down to the front uh here where we'll gather in front of the flag where we can all raise it together and have a moment of celebration as we kick off the rest of Pride Month.
15:27Happy Friday.