DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa.– In honor of Pride Month, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has ordered the display of Pride flags and a rainbow of lights to be broadcast against the Capitol from the second-floor balcony off his office.
The two 5’x8’’ American-made flags, the Philadelphia People of Color Inclusive Flag and the Transgender Flag, are being displayed together on the balcony for the first time.
The Pride lights will shine against the Capitol June 10 through June 18, while the flags will remain until the end of the month.
Fetterman ordered the flags and light display to join the LGBTQIA+ community in the monthlong celebration. The Lieutenant Governor and his family plan to attend numerous Pride events throughout the summer.
“We celebrate Pride to represent, to celebrate, and to remember,” Fetterman said. “I’m honored to make this gesture as an ally to people who’ve been marginalized for too long.”
Fetterman’s Chief of Staff, Bobby Maggio, said the flag and light display is another example of the Lieutenant Governor acting on his convictions about equality.
“Our office’s staff of six includes two members of the LGBTQIA+ community, three women, and three African Americans,” Maggio said. “As a gay man, I’m honored to work for an inclusive employer and I’m proud to lead a diverse team that reflects how Pennsylvania looks outside of this office.”
The Philadelphia People of Color Inclusive Flag originated in the city and adds the colors brown and black to the rainbow flag to represent gay Philadelphians of color who had faced discrimination. The Transgender Flag, designed by transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999, symbolizes a spectrum of identities. The pattern is designed so the flag looks correct regardless of how it’s flown, symbolizing the desire of people to find correctness in their own lives.
SOURCE: Governor’s Office
