Westerly Town Council unanimously issues a Pride Month Proclamation

"I’m so proud of our progress on that front in this country," said Councilmember Niemeyer. "I’m glad we have a chance to celebrate it, and I’m glad to celebrate it with all of you."

On Monday, the Westerly Town Council issued five proclamations, which are statements signed by the council members setting aside days, weeks, and months in honor of various people and causes. The second week of May was declared Lung Cancer Action Week, May 18 was declared “Neighbor Day,” and May 8 was declared “Victory in Europe Day.” Police were honored with a proclamation that wasn’t on the agenda, and June was proclaimed Pride Month.

These are the ordinary actions of municipal governments across the country, and arouse little pushback or debate. But I was alerted by some Westerly residents that there was pushback against Pride Month in some online forums. In response, over a dozen people filled the council chamber supporting Pride Month. Only two or three people were in the room in opposition.

Here’s the video:

Council President Christopher Duhamel explained that the proclamation was introduced to him and Town Manager Shawn Lacey by First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough in neighboring Stonington, CT.

“I felt it was worth the Town of Westerly participating,” said President Duhamel.

Councilmember Michael Niemeyer read the proclamation into the record. It reads:

The Westerly Town Council proclaims June 2025 as Pride Month

In the Town of Westerly, a friendly and welcoming community that celebrates and promotes diversity and inclusion and recognizes the importance of equality and freedom for all residents.

Westerly recognizes the contributions of LGBTQIA+ residents, students, employees, business owners, and visitors to the cultural and civic fabric of the town and remains committed to protecting their civil rights in our unified effort to forge a more open and just society.

Westerly joins many towns and cities across the United States in recognizing and celebrating June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month as a commitment to standing in solidarity with all LGBTQIA+ Americans.

The Westerly Town Council hereby proclaims the month of June 2025 as Pride Month in support of the LGBTQIA+ community and encourages everyone to reflect on ways we can all live and work together with commitment to mutual respect and understanding.

In witness whereof, we have hereby set our hands and caused the seal of the Town of Westerly to be hereunto affixed this 5th day of May 2025.

In witness whereof, we have hereby set our hands and caused the Seal of the Town of Westerly to be here unto affixed this fifth day of May, 2025, signed by all counselors.

The council members received a standing ovation in response.

During citizen comments, two people spoke against the proclamation. Maurice Devine¹ made the argument that service members are awarded one day of recognition, while LGBTQ+ people receive an entire month. Anya Kohlman² argued that June is celebrated as the Month of the Sacred Heart in the Catholic Church, and that under President Donald Trump, we are moving away from what she called “genderism.”

Four people spoke in favor of the proclamation:

Janine Harrington: Today, I stand before you to emphasize the importance of giving LGBTQIA+ citizens a month of visibility. The initiative hurts no one in this room, yet its positive impact is immense for those who face marginalization every day of their lives. In a world where love should always win, we have the opportunity to uplift and support our fellow citizens. In regards to Christianity, I am a Christian. Jesus loved everyone. Jesus’ teachings on compassion, inclusion, and welcoming marginalized groups are well known. That’s who he was. I want to thank every council member for doing what is right and signing this proclamation. Together, we can make a difference.

Linda Durand: I bought a house here in Westerly about 32 years ago, and it’s so beautiful. I’m so happy to be here. However, I also am gay, and Westerly is not always so welcoming, so a proclamation like this means a lot to many people.

Angela Goethals: I was in New York with my mom over the weekend and saw an adaptation of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya. This is a play with a cast of eight people, and it was performed by one actor. I bring it up because I was reflecting on the celebration of humanity on that stage, to see one human being inhabit all of these different roles. They were men, women, old, young, beautiful, or as one described herself, unfortunately plain. I’m proud to live in Westerly. I’m proud to raise my children here, and I’m proud of June as Pride Month.

Annie Pierce: I want to thank everyone on the town council who supported this proclamation of Pride Month. Although a short statement, it is a gesture long in decency and thoughtfulness, particularly for a group so many of us love and support that has been maligned because of ignorance, fear, and power. The hope is that this proclamation will be a symbol for what the majority of us know and understand to be true. There is no you and me, but us, and when you lift that one person, one group, in our community, we lift all of us.

Members of the town council responded:

Councilmember Michael Niemeyer: Regarding your comments, Mr. Devine, thank you for being respectful. I know that Ms. Kohlman has left, but I did want to say she took it a little further than you did, and was talking about “genderism.” I don’t know what that is. And this notion of the majority must crush the minority - I don’t like that at all. I don’t appreciate that approach to politics. We should all be in this together.

To the folks who spoke in favor of Pride Month - it’s strange to think that when I was a kid, gay people couldn’t get married. Some of you might be a bit older than me and have lived under that condition for a bunch of your lives, but to think that my sister and her wife wouldn’t have been able to get married is mind-boggling. It’s so bizarre. I’m so proud of our progress on that front in this country. I’m glad we have a chance to celebrate it, and I’m glad to celebrate it with all of you.

Councilmember Alexandra Healy: I want to thank everybody for coming out, watching, listening, and speaking. It makes a very big difference. We have strength in our diversity here in town. We welcome people by the thousands every year. We welcome people of any kind, and I think it’s amazing to say, “Hey guys, you’re valid, you’re heard, and you’re seen, even by our local government.”

I want to touch on that a bit. In Westerly, the majority are Democrats. They won across the board in 2024. Fifty-three percent voted blue for Kamala, not including everybody else: Senator in Congress - Democrat. Representative in Congress - Democrat. Senator in Districts 37, 36, 38 - Democrats.

We are holding true to everybody who voted for us. We are holding true to our morals and our values, and I appreciate being able to sit up here and say that publicly. Thank you all for coming.

Council President Christopher Duhamel: I’ll conclude. The Proclamation for Pride Month was in concert with the Town of Stonington. They’re reaching out to be inclusive, and I felt that Westerly also represents that. The other proclamations honoring our veterans and our police are just as important. I don’t know that a day or a month has to equate to that, but the sacrifices they do for us daily and throughout the year are near and dear to us. That’s all I have to say.

1. Maurice Devine: I’ve been a resident of Westerly for almost six decades - moved away for a little bit - but came back after about six years.

A quick question. This evening, on the Proclamation to reserve a month for Pride - Westerly, by its nature and its characteristic background of so many different societal groups, celebrates it all the time. Our honored dead service men and women receive but one day for their supreme sacrifice. Our veterans of overseas service - one day. Originally, it was called Armistice Day, then called Veterans Day. Victory Day. [One day] for so many people who survived [or] paid the ultimate price in the Pacific. Now we understand that the State of Rhode Island will change the name to Peace and Remembrance Day.

I think we have the right balance already for the days we reserve for special people in our populations, who, for one reason or another, aren’t with us anymore, or maimed physically, or came home with deep mental scars. We all grew up with them. We know them. It was our honor to know them as part of our pride patchwork here in Westerly. I wonder, in comparison to all of these things that people have selflessly done through the decades in this town, why do we need to reserve a month to celebrate people’s choices to live the life the way they choose, which is what all of us in Westerly are doing already?

2. Anya Kohlman: When the town hall meeting is posted online, I’m always amazed how nasty, vulgar, and pitiful the comments are if you have a different opinion than the LGBTQ. Quite frankly, the majority is fed up with the constant talk about genderism. The only reason this is still on debate tonight is because we have, as of now, a democratic governor, which completely goes against what America voted for, which is President Trump and Make America Great Again.

I want to touch on an important fact tonight, that the majority is against genderism. In our Catholic Church, June is the Month of the Sacred Heart. Many will have an opinion about this, but the fact is that 41% of Rhode Islanders are Catholic, which is about 101,000 Americans in Rhode Island. The people who are transgender are only 1.61% of people. Common sense seems unimportant to that group, but everyone knows 41% is higher than 1.6.

I work at a Catholic Church, and this morning, on a Monday morning, we had about 50 people who attended Catholic Mass to receive the Body of Christ. That’s a church in Westerly, Rhode Island—way more people than are here tonight. We need to get back to what the majority wants, not what 1.6% want, and I noticed that it’s always the same people promoting this at the town hall.

I’m asking the town council, “How can the town hall council grant this if the majority is against it? How? Why? What basis? What basis?” Like the gentleman said, people die in wars for everybody, and they get one day. Now they’re changing everything. Why does everything have to be changed that used to be traditional? Traditional worked for a long time. I want to know who is Catholic on this panel. Do you all go to church, and if you do, why would you vote for this when the majority is against it?

They had their time for four years. Now it’s our time, okay? We want Christ back. It’s a Sacred Heart. That’s what we celebrate. If you want to give them a day, give them a day. A month? On what basis would you grant that? If you grant it, there’s nothing I can do, but for me, it will not end if you do, not tonight. I will go forward to make big waves. This will not be a June of Pride. This is a Sacred Heart.