The month of June will have no special meaning in Okeechobee, Florida, after the city council voted against recognizing Pride Month.
“Our community is a very conservative, very Christian community,” Okeechobee Mayor Dowling Watford said after the city declined to designate June as Pride Month. “There is a portion of the population who feel slighted by this, but we don’t mean that in any way.”
US EMBASSY TO THE VATICAN FLIES GAY PRIDE FLAG FOR MONTH OF JUNE
City Council member Bobby Keefe had proposed the city recognize the monthlong celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender pride. However, Watford said his “personal religious beliefs” made him feel uncomfortable signing the proclamation.
The measure went to the full city council for a vote, where it was defeated 4-1.
However, the move has sparked some resistance, including from the executive director of the Compass LGBTQ Community Center in Lake Worth.
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“Our elected officials are supposed to be serving the community, and that means all of the community, all of the residents,” Julie Seaver said. “It’s as important as Black History Month. It’s as important as Women’s History Month.”
Cities and states across the United States recognize Pride Month, including in Utah, where Gov. Spencer Cox declared June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the first-ever such declaration from a sitting Utah governor.
