WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester State University is hosting a flag raising ceremony next week to celebrate its support of LGTBQ+ and other communities.

It will include the raising of the Pride flag and a “Hate has no home here” flag.

The Pride flag will fly 365 days a year and will accompany a rotating unity flag sponsored by different groups.

“I think having it up there 365 days of the year is really signaling towards our students, our staff, our faculty that Worcester State is committed to supporting them the entire year round,” Riley McGuirk, co-chair of WSU’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group, said.

Worcester State said their effort isn’t in response to any specific event or law passed recently in other states. The school said their goal is to further provide inclusivity for all who visit them.

“This is what should be everywhere, especially a public university,” Stacey Luster, WSU’s general counsel, said. “So in no way a response. It is proactive.”

The flag raising ceremony will take place on April 27 at 11 a.m. outside the lower level of the student center.