The Town of North Haven is currently celebrating June as Pride Month. To show their support, the rainbow flag, along with the American Flag, was raised underneath a bright cloudless Friday sky at the North Haven Memorial Library on June 1. Present at the flag raising was North Haven Pride (NHP), Girl Scout Troop 60387, students from the middle school and high school, and others from the community, all to express their support for the LGBTQ+ community in North Haven. Among them was North Haven Middle School (NHMS) student Alice Gabriele, who was very happy to see the flag raised as a symbol of support for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“It was very important that North Haven is showing public support for the LGBTQ+ community,” says Alice. “It was very nice to see that support happening.”

Striving for recognition and equality for all people is important for Alice both outside and inside school. She is also a member of a materializing Diversity Club at NHMS, which she looks forward to seeing become officially a part of the school next year.

“We haven’t really gotten started yet. It’s been a long process getting it started, but it’s definitely going to happen next year,” says Alice. “We’re gonna do a practice run, like towards the end of the year, and then next year, we’re gonna get it sorted.”

Alice has the same goal with the Diversity Club as NHP does, and the town demonstrated with the flag raising.

“I want to show the school that it’s important to show diversity, and I want to make LGBTQ+ students at the middle school feel seen,” says Alice.

She admits that it wasn’t easy to be seen for who she is at her school, but she knew she had support from her family and friends that joined her at the flag raising.

“It was a little bit hard to show who I am to my school. It was very easy to show it to my family and my friends because they’ve always been so supportive of the LGBTQ+ community,” she says.

Regarding disrespect towards kids who identify as LGBTQ+, Alice said, “The teachers are doing the best that they can to try and stop it,” and that she looks out for her friends who are badly hurt by unkind words and actions used against who they are.

“I personally don’t mind what they think, but I think it really affected my friends. And some of my friends don’t feel safe at the middle school because they are LGBTQ+, and they don’t want to be booed for who they are.”

The inaugural Pride event will take place on the Town Green on Saturday, June 17, a day that Alice looks forward to and sees as an opportunity for LGBTQ+ people to be fully recognized and celebrated as a part of the North Haven community.

“I think it’s very important to have a time of the year that we can look forward to and to celebrate who we are,” said Alice. “I’m looking forward to seeing my family and friends be there to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. And I’m looking forward to seeing other people there [and be] happy to know that their town supports them.”

At the event will be a variety of vendors selling food, promoting health services for LGBTQ+ persons, and arts and crafts made by its members. Alice will be one of those creators and a person to help document the day.

“I am part of Leo’s club, and we’re going to sell bracelets and do a photo booth at Pride.”

For more information on North Haven Pride and the upcoming Pride event, visit www.northhavenpride.org.