MANCHESTER — As Pride month begins amid a uniquely contentious political climate, Northshire residents will have a new opportunity to celebrate visibility and acceptance.
A “Circle of Visibility” will take place at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 15, intended to serve as a continuation of Pride events in Bennington and Dorset on Saturday, June 14. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as allies are encouraged to attend.
The event will begin at Factory Point Town Green with recognition of individuals, both past and present, who have worked to make the Northshire a place where all people can belong and thrive, according to organizers. At 12 p.m., community members will gather in a “full circle” around the Manchester Roundabout, “waving Pride flags in unison during a one-hour ‘Circle of Visibility,’ symbolizing unity, affirmation, and the power of representation.”
The event is led by Jonathan and Thomas West, local advocates who say that “acceptance through visibility” is essential to a just and compassionate community.
“To those wondering if it’s their place to fly a flag, know that it is. Even if you don’t think you ‘need’ to, someone else does. Your flag might be the one that gives someone hope,” said Thomas West, a member of Manchester’s Planning Commission as well as the board of the Southwest Vermont Regional Technical School District.
“Visibility is more than symbolic, it’s life-affirming,” said Jonathan West, a member of the Manchester Select Board and Housing Task Force. “When we show up, when we raise flags, when we form a circle in our most visible public space, we send a powerful message: You are not alone. You are seen. You belong.”
The effort follows the passage of a Pride Proclamation in Manchester last year, and a discussion that initially seemed like it would pave the way to flying the rainbow Pride flag on municipal property in 2025. Those hopes were dashed, however, when the Select Board firmly embraced the position of only permitting the Vermont and United States flag by a 3-2 vote last month. Residents mounted a petition asking them to reconsider, and garnered a “few hundred” signatures according to West, but the policy was ultimately revised.
Don’t be mistaken: those who voted in favor of the more restrictive policy did not cite bias or ignorance, and in fact spoke in support of the LGBTQIA+ community and representation in other spaces. But they did express concern around free speech on municipal property, and whether officials would be within their rights to deny a less benign flag if prompted.
Having participated in the two Select Board discussions nearly a year apart, Jonathan West admitted feeling deflated with the resolution – but soon turned his focus elsewhere.
Alongside coordinating the Circle of Visibility, the West’s have donated over 200 Pride flags, available for pickup at the Manchester Community Library and the Manchester Visitor’s Center. Flags are free, though donations to PFLAG Dorset, a local organization supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals and families, are welcome.
Residents, visitors, and businesses are encouraged to display a flag in June, they said, even if the town itself cannot.
“The reason why the Pride proclamation with the raising of the Pride flag on a municipal building was so important to me was visibility,” Jonathan said. “When I grew up here, there wasn’t that visibility, it just didn’t exist.”
“I wanted to come up with a way to show that visibility to the community, but most importantly, to those who are part of the LGBTQ community,” he continued. “It’s not just that one flag on one business. It’s about an entire community coming out and showing their support, not just saying it.”
West pointed to two annual Pride Car Caravans, which rolled into Manchester from Bennington and Rutland in 2021 and 2022, as an emotionally impactful display of acceptance and belonging.
“I just remember going around that roundabout with flags at every corner and just getting incredibly emotional,” he said. “I knew that this was my community… knowing that you exist and are welcome in a community is incredibly important.”
“Vermont in general has built a great reputation about being a leader for LGBTQ rights, specifically trans rights,” West continued. “Right now, Vermont is a relatively safe place, legislatively, for trans people.”
Manchester specifically has a large and diverse LGBTQIA+ community, according to West.
“I think we are building a strong place of acceptance,” he said. “But we can always do more. We can’t rest on just words, and I think that’s ultimately where this entire thing comes full circle.
