By Dan Murphy
The City of Yonkers held its second annual Pride Weekend last week, which included a flag raising ceremony, kickoff party and festival June 8. Yonkers Pride was celebrated during LGBTQ Pride Month, which was recognized by Westchester County and across the country.
This marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the modern LGBT civil rights movement, and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 – when police action against the Stonewall Inn, a gathering place for gay men in Greenwich Village, galvanized the community and touched off the modern gay rights movement.
During the flag raising ceremony, Mayor Mike Spano presented a proclamation to George and Roseann Hermann for their work on behalf of the LGBTQ community.
In 2014, Spano created the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) Advisory Board, which consists of eight members who are responsible for advocating for policies to advance Yonkers’ LGBTQ community.
Members of the board include Mayor’s Liaison: Robert Voorheis, Anthony Nicodemo and Sharena Taylor, Co-Chairs; Stella Higgins, Secretary; Eileen O’Connor, Jen Longley, Steve Cruz, Renee Toback and Jonathan Rios; members at large.
