Pride Belongs Here 🏳️‍🌈

With Mercer County Executive Dan Benson and Trenton Councilwoman Jennifer Williams

Yesterday evening, I had the honor of speaking at the Mercer County Pride Flag Raising ceremony at Mercer County Park, right here in West Windsor.

It was a beautiful and meaningful way to close out several days of Pride celebrations across our region.

At the flag raising, I spoke about how a flag raising may seem like a simple act: a few words, a few moments, and then a flag lifted into the sky. But for many people, that symbol carries deep meaning.

It says: you are seen.

It says: you belong.

It says: your community is not asking you to hide, shrink, or apologize for who you are.

And that matters.

There was a time, not very long ago, when public displays of support for LGBTQ+ people were far less common. For many of us, growing up meant learning how much of ourselves felt safe to bring into a room. Too often, acceptance had to be assumed, hoped for, or quietly searched for. It was rarely proclaimed publicly by the institutions and communities around us.

That is why moments like yesterday matter.

When county leaders, local officials, community organizations, families, friends, and neighbors gather together in public support of the LGBTQ+ community, it is not just ceremonial. It is a message.

It is a message to the young person who is still figuring out who they are.

It is a message to the adult who spent years wondering whether they could be fully themselves.

It is a message to families who want their children to grow up in a community rooted in love, dignity, and respect.

And it is a message to anyone who has ever felt pushed to the margins: that you are part of this community, and this community is stronger because you are in it.

From left to right: West Windsor Councilman Dan Weiss, Mercer Commissioner Nina Melker, Trenton Councilwoman Jennifer Williams, County Surrogate Diane Gerofsky, County Executive Dan Benson, County Commissioners Lucy Walter, Sam Frisby, Cathleen Lewis, and County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello

I am deeply grateful to Mercer County for hosting yesterday’s flag raising, and to everyone who came out to stand together for dignity, inclusion, and love.

I am also grateful for the many Pride events that took place across our region this past week, including Princeton Pride, Lawrence PrideFest, and the wonderful family Pride celebration on Sunday afternoon hosted by the Democratic Clubs of Robbinsville, West Windsor, East Windsor, and Hamilton.

Governor Mikie Sherrill, Commissioner of Veteran Affairs Vincent Solomeno, Cookie Doe

Earlier in the week, I also had the honor of attending the Governor’s Pride Reception at Drumthwacket, hosted by Governor Mikie Sherrill. Being in that space, surrounded by advocates, public officials, community leaders, and LGBTQ+ residents from across New Jersey, was another reminder of why public support matters. From the Governor’s residence to our county parks to local community gatherings, these moments send a message that LGBTQ+ people belong in every part of our public life.

At Sunday’s family Pride celebration, I had the opportunity to speak about the importance of drag, and to introduce the incredibly talented Lexie Legato.

Drag is a powerful art form. It brings together gender, expression, fashion, music, comedy, dance, and storytelling. It is joyful, glamorous, funny, bold, theatrical, and larger than life. It also challenges the idea that there is only one way to be seen, one way to be beautiful, one way to be strong, or one way to belong.

And in this moment, that visibility matters deeply.

In parts of our country, drag performances have been targeted, restricted, and even treated as something dangerous or unlawful. But drag reminds us why visibility matters. It shows us that joy, creativity, and self-expression can be powerful, especially when people are told to hide who they are.

Joy itself is an act of resistance.

Lexie Legato

At a family Pride event, especially, it matters that young people see joy. It matters that families see artistry. It matters that our community sees LGBTQ+ culture not as something hidden away, but as something worthy of applause, respect, and celebration.

That is what this past week has been about for me: visibility, belonging, celebration, and community.

A Pride flag does not erase discrimination. A proclamation does not end bullying. A ceremony does not remove every barrier that LGBTQ+ people still face.

But these things do matter.

They matter because culture is shaped by what we choose to honor publicly. They matter because belonging is not built only through policy or programs, but also through the everyday signals we send one another about whose lives are valued and whose presence is welcomed.

This week, across Mercer County, those signals were clear.

Pride belongs here.

In our parks.

In our towns.

In our schools.

In our families.

In our houses of worship.

In our public institutions.

And in the full story of who we are as a community.

Thank you to everyone who organized, volunteered, performed, attended, supported, and showed up this week.

Happy Pride. 🏳️‍🌈