Local Proclamation Declaring June Pride Month in City of St. Joseph
On June 10th, 2024, the members of the St. Joseph City Commission officially adopted the proposed Proclamation from OutCenter Southwest Michigan which requested for June 2024 to be declared Pride Month by the city, the Seat of Berrien County.
Our society in general has been in a slowly-moving process towards greater justice and equity. Since the Civil Rights protests, to Stonewall, to recent changes to federal guidelines which offer greater protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, we have seen culture move in a direction that is more and more welcoming of queer identities.
The City of St. Joseph is a community doing its part in ensuring LGBTQ+ people are invited, welcomed, and affirmed. St. Joseph contributed to this work in 2019, as the first city in southwest Michigan to adopt a non-discrimination ordinance. Now, by officially recognizing Pride month, the city is continuing to take an active role in creating environments where sexual and gender minorities feel belonging in their community.
Read the full proclamation here:
WHEREAS, the United States of America recognizes and proclaims the month of June 2024 to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) “Pride Month”, continuing a recognition first declared in 1999; and
WHEREAS, the State of Michigan recognizes and proclaims the month of June 2024 to be “Pride Month”, continuing a recognition first declared in 2019; and
WHEREAS, OutCenter Southwest Michigan has developed and is hosting several events in recognition and celebration of Pride Month, collectively known as the Twin Cities Pride Celebration, on June 22, 2024; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission recognizes and re-affirms the City of St. Joseph’s Non-discrimination Ordinance, adopted in March 2019, the intent of which is to ensure that within the City of St. Joseph no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of their civil rights or be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, height, weight, marital status, or disability; and
WHEREAS, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and LGBTQ+ individuals have had immeasurable positive impacts to the cultural, civic, and economic successes of our country and the City of St. Joseph; and
WHEREAS, the St. Joseph City Commission is committed to supporting visibility, dignity, and equality for LGBTQ+ people in our diverse community; and
WHEREAS, while society at large increasingly supports LGBTQ+ equality, it is essential to acknowledge that the need for education and awareness remains vital to end discrimination and prejudice; and
WHEREAS, celebrating Pride Month influences awareness and provides support and advocacy for Berrien County’s LGBTQ+ community, and is an opportunity to take action and engage in dialogue to strengthen alliances, build acceptance, and advance equal rights; and
WHEREAS, OutCenter Southwest Michigan was founded in the City of St. Joseph and has provided programs, support, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people and their families in Southwest Michigan for more than twenty years; and
WHEREAS, OutCenter Southwest Michigan created system-wide change initiatives that have focused on equitable schools and healthcare; linked Southwest Michigan directly to a State-wide network of LGBTQ+ community centers and advocacy organizations; lifted the voices of Queer people in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties; and leveraged State-wide resources and attention for the area; and
WHEREAS, OutCenter Southwest Michigan is the subject matter expert in the area, providing model municipal policies that aided in the development and passage of the City of St. Joseph’s nondiscrimination ordinance, which was the first, but not the last, inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance adopted in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the St. Joseph City Commission hereby proclaims the month of June 2024 as Pride Month in support of the LGBTQ+ community, in support of the work being done by OutCenter Southwest Michigan, and in recognition and acknowledgment of the Twin Cities Pride Celebration; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the St. Joseph City Commission calls upon the people of the City to recognize that this nation was founded on the principle that every individual has infinite dignity and worth, and to embrace this principle and work to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists.
Photo: Following the St. Joseph City Commission meeting, OutCenter staff and board members gathered by the City of St. Joseph welcome sign. Pictured left to right: Willow Sipling, Gerik Maverick, Greg Fulmer, John Royse, Shannon Lyons, MaryJo Schnell.