NEW JERSEY PRIDE FESTIVAL WILL NOT BE IN MAPLEWOOD

From New Jersey Pride: 

As you may have heard, a National LGBTQ March on 

Washington has been announced 

for Sunday, June 11, 2017, the 

very same day the North Jersey 

Pride Festival would normally 

have been held in Maplewood.

After much consideration, reviewing the options, and 

getting feedback from community members, we have decided 

not to hold our festival as previously scheduled, as we do
not want anyone to have to choose between these two events.

Moreover, things have changed for our community since the 

inauguration. The current administration's executive orders 

have been chipping away at hard-won LGBTQ rights;
the latest moves to undermine LGBTQ equality include an executive 

order revoking key components of a previous order by President 

Obama banning federal contractors from discriminating against 

LGTBQ employees and an announcement that the U.S. Census 

will be dropping sexual orientation and gender identity from 

the annual survey and 2020 report, so that LGBTQ members 

will no longer have visibility as a unique group. 

There are sadly many more such examples, including the choice 

of cabinet members by the current administration, most of whom 

have a deplorable record on LGBTQ rights.

Therefore, we feel that what our community most needs now is 

to stand together in solidarity with hundreds of thousands of other 

supporters on the streets of the nation’s capitol, making ourselves 

visible, demonstrating our unity, and letting our lawmakers know 

we will not give up our rights without a fight.

To that end, we are taking this year’s Pride on the road. NJP will 

be organizing busing down to D.C. for the March as well as a 

group rate at a local hotel for those who want to stay over 

Saturday night. All are invited to march with NJP as a group;
we will have our own banner and will also be hosting a fun 

sign-making party prior to the march. Please send us a note
(mailto:events@northjerseypride.org to let us know you are 

interested in joining us and whether you would like a seat on
the bus, a hotel room or both.