It was an afternoon full of pride at Rye Town Park. In conjunction with the local pRYEde group, Rye Town Park and the Town of Rye held is 5th annual pride event. It spanned the afternoon into the early evening with a fair, flag raising, parade, the unveiling of a new pride mural and an after party on the beach. The speeches, parade and mural unveiling drew about 100 people.
“Today’s celebration is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. And we welcome that. We welcome everybody. And we welcome everybody with an open mind and an open heart,” said Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman.
Speaking against President Trump and the current administration’s moved against DEI initiatives, NY-16 Congressman George Latimer said anti-DEI efforts “It’s taking us backwards prior to Stonewall, prior to Selma Alabama, prior to the Women’s Liberation Movement … the strength of America has always been in our ability to change and grow, accept and move forward … you don’t have to be anything other than an American to appreciate that what we’re doing today is fundamentally American.”
State Assemblyman Steve Otis echoed the same sentiment: “There is a movement to take away the humanity of people based upon their country of origin, based upon their race, based upon their economic status, and, yes, based upon their idea of their sexuality.”
“So much of what pride does … is rooted in research that affirming communities, affirming families, have real positive effects on the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth and individuals in our community and we’re really grounded in that,” said pRYEde founder Amanda Timchak. “During a time when rights are under attack on the national level, we know that the work we’re doing here at the local level is so much more important.”
After speeches the assembled group marched in a brief parade down the path by Oakland Beach to unveil the 4th pride mural. The artistic effort, overseen by Rye resident and teacher Donna Wundeler, represents the collective effort of about 40-50 students from 15 different local schools and organizations. It will be on display in Rye Town Park by the Oakland Beach boardwalk.
