The Pride Flag was hoisted 100-feet high over Madison's Town Campus on June 28 as nearly 50 residents adorned in rainbow-patterned shirts, earrings, shoes, and even a crown of flowers gathered to honor LGBTQ+ history and current residents on the 52nd anniversary of New York City's Stonewall Riots.

The relatively short ceremony, which included remarks from State Senator Christine Cohen (D-12), First Selectman Peggy Lyons, and Rev. Dr. Heather Arcovitch of North Madison Congregational Church, belied what was a significant, albeit symbolic step, in town in the fight for recognition of the LGBTQ+ community.

"A flag is a powerful symbol for pride," said Lyons. "By flying this flag here today, we are making a statement to the world that the people of Madison are proud of our diversity, are proud of our inclusiveness, and proud of our LGBTQ+ community."

"Flags really represent oneness," said Cohen. "This flag is no different, representing unity amongst the community of people - not just the LGBTQ+ community, but all people, making sure that we recognize we are all equal."

The flag-raising came on the 52nd anniversary of what has become known as the Stonewall Riots. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a private "bottle club" known to patrons as a gay bar, was raided by police. At the time, homosexual and gender non-comforming behavior was criminalized and often met with violence. As patrons resisted police, their resistance grew to violent levels. The incident sparked a week of civil unrest and is widely credited as the genesis of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Locally, the flag-raising ceremony follows a handful of other steps in Madison, including a "Pridefest" event last October (with another planned for this fall) and an official proclamation honoring Pride Month by the Board of Selectman - the first in the town's history, according to First Selectman Peggy Lyons.

Many of those in attendance at the flag-raising were part of Madison's Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which Lyons previously said she hoped to give some official designation or recognition to. Several parents brought their children, and there was a good mix of town officials both Democrat and Republican.

"We're such a small town; we have had a history of being fairly conservative," said Janice Wolf. "I'm glad there's been a shift."

Others acknowledged that while raising the flag was a powerful moment, there is still much more substantial work to be done - both locally and across the country - for members of the LGBTQ+ community to make real change and build equality.

A lone protester who arrived prior to the event to picket and the presence of two Madison Police Officers were a stark reminder that progress remains to be made.

In her remarks, Arcovich, whose ministry has included activism all over the world, made it clear that the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights was not going to end with a flag-raising. She cited statistics compiled by the Human Rights Campaign that 2021 is on pace to see more murders of transgender and gender non-conforming people than any other year in history.

"Doing this today may be saving a life," she said. "Not just celebrating how far we've come, but really keeping alive children of God who otherwise would not know that we are safe and loved."

Arcovich compared the flag raising to a kind of prayer, putting "the word out, the intention out" that Madison is a loving place that values and protects LGBTQ+ people.

"I serve a God I understand to be about love," she said. "We are so proud of what Madison is trying to do and to witness, a gentler, kinder, more loving way of being neighbors together."