PITTSFIELD, Mass. - In another sign that things are starting to get back to normal, dozens of people came out to Pittsfield city hall on Wednesday to raise the Pride flag to kick off Pride Month in the Berkshires.

The ceremony started as an annual tradition in 2017, but like many other events, was canceled last year because of the pandemic.

Mayor Linda Tyler read a proclamation declaring June as Pittsfield LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and a memorial ceremony was held for local trans-rights activist Jahaira Dealto, who was killed in Boston last month.

For many of the speakers, the event was a celebration of progress and it served as a reminder of the everyday discrimination the LGBTQ+ community still faces.  

“It’s really easy for all people to really sit back and rest on our laurels, and think that ‘oh, you know, we’ve made progress, we’ve done all of these things,’” said Berkshire Pride Chair, Kalen O’Brien. “But it was only 2015 that same-sex marriage was actually legalized nationwide. That does not stop all the anti-trans bills that come forward. It does not stop all the anti-queer bills that come forward. And so there is still work to be done. There is still so much that we have to do and we can’t sit back.”

Berkshire Pride is planning several more events throughout the month, including a possible joint Juneteenth celebration with the Berkshire branch of the NAACP during the third weekend of June, and another, more traditional Pride festival at the end of the month.