'The flag shows that someone is looking out for me': Fairhaven changes course on Pride flag

FAIRHAVEN — After they voted against flying the Pride flag at Fairhaven Town Hall last year during Pride month — citing a missed deadline as the main reason — the decision for this June was presented to the Select Board on Monday.

The vote was unanimous to fly the flag for the first two weeks of June; the final two weeks are reserved for the Fairhaven's Homecoming flag.

"We're really excited that they're flying the flag. It shows the hard work of the group in Fairhaven," said Andrew Pollack, president of the SouthCoast LGBTQ+ Network.

"It's a positive move for everyone."

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The recently elected five-member Fairhaven Select Board also discussed having a Pride flag mounted inside the building, permanently.

Ronny Manzone, a Fairhaven resident and transgender woman, spoke at the hearing stating, "I never realized the importance of that flag until I flipped to this lifestyle."

According to a previous Standard-Times article, the flag was not flown last year due to human error. A new flag policy for the town had been enacted September of last year with the requirement that all requests for flying flags on town-owned property be made 60 days in advance.

On June 7, 2021, Kyle Bueno, who sits on the Fairhaven School Committee, appeared before the select board to request approval to overlook the new rule and still hang the iconic rainbow flag.

The request was denied with a vote of 2-1.

Selectmen Keith Silvia and Dan Freitas said they denied the request based on concerns that they'd be setting a precedent to fly other flags that residents may find offensive, such as a Trump flag.

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“For many, the flag shows that someone is looking out for me and appreciates who I am,” Bueno said during the meeting while also noting that more towns and government officials showing support for the LGBTQ+ community can lead to positive changes.

In response, an "anonymous unicorn" (yes, that's correct) drew a rainbow with chalk on the crosswalk between Fairhaven Town Hall and the Millicent Library on Center Street. They also put 100 miniature Pride flags around the Town Hall's perimeter.

“As a resident, I'm not surprised that members of the community would come together and decide to color the crosswalk right across the town hall,” said Bueno in a previous interview. “It really kind of signifies who we are."

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Big changes on the horizon

"I really appreciate that the voters have spoken, and with its new leadership I appreciate the compromise," said Fairhaven resident Diane Hahn.

In 2021, Hahn and a few other residents created an event to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community in front of the town hall after the controversial vote.

This year, Hahn co-founded Fairhaven Got Pride! which is scheduled for June 26, however she had to take a leave of absence due to a medical issue. Chairs Kylie Bateman and Jessica Fidalgo are now helming the project.

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"I think it'll be bigger and better than our last one!" Hahn said.

She also hopes that Fairhaven Town Hall will work at having representation not just in during Pride month. "They should let people know that they're accepted and have a voice there all the time," she said.

As June approaches, Pollack said the network has several Pride events scheduled for Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton.

"We really want to engage people in discussion... Engagement is the key," he said. "I'm excited to be getting back to our in-person celebrations, it should be quite nice."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Fairhaven to fly Pride flag in June, after denying request in 2021