Parsippany will raise the LGBTQ+ Rainbow Pride flag at Town Hall on June 28, International Pride Day, for the first time since 2021.
The Township Council voted 4-0 on June 9 to approve a resolution recognizing June as Pride Month and authorizing the one-day flag display. Councilman Matthew McGrath was absent from the vote.
The move marks a notable shift under new Mayor Pulkit Desai. Under his predecessor, Mayor James Barberio, Pride Month went unacknowledged, and the Pride flag was never raised at Town Hall. The flag had last flown there during Mayor Michael Soriano’s administration in 2021.
The single-day display comes as many towns across New Jersey and the country have moved in the opposite direction, banning Pride flags and other non-governmental flags from public buildings altogether.
During the council discussion, Councilman Paul Carifi Jr. asked whether community organizations could request to raise other flags at Town Hall, provided they were deemed appropriate and non-offensive. Desai said such requests would be welcomed.
“Absolutely, Parsippany is all about including everyone,” Desai said, according to Parsippany Daily and Parsippany Focus.
