LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Pride flags are flying on the state office building in Lansing for the first time in Michigan’s history.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered that starting Saturday, two of the iconic rainbow flags will fly on the George W. Romney Building to help celebrate June as Pride Month in Michigan.
The flying of the flags comes after Whitmer signed a proclamation designating June as Pride Month to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. A police raid on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn triggered a series of riots and sparked the nascent LGBT movement in the country and around the world.
In a news release, Whitmer said celebrating Pride Month helps ensure that members of Michigan’s LGBTQ community “are treated with the respect they deserve.”