On Monday night, May 4, members of the Barrington Town Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling for June to be recognized as Barrington Pride Month.

Barrington Town Council member Jacob Brier proposed the resolution, having worked closely with a diverse mix of people who supported the measure, including a member of the Barrington School Committee which is reportedly considering a companion resolution for the School Department.

"It is my hope that by flying the Pride flag at town hall and publicizing this acknowledgement, the town can provide a visible reminder that Barrington is home to, and made stronger by, people in the LGBTQIA+ community," Mr. Brier wrote in an email. "We still have work to do, at all levels of society and government, to achieve equality in many different respects. I hope this resolution shines a light on that work waiting for us to finish it, and also motivates people because of the progress that has been made in recent years."

Mr. Brier said he realized during the mid-point of his first year on the Barrington Town Council that other cities and towns in Rhode Island were holding events and passing resolutions relating to Pride Month.

"I thought to myself, 'why isn't Barrington part of this?' It had not yet occurred to me that I was now in a position to initiate such actions. I reached out to town management to see if we could put together an event and fly the Pride flag," he said.

Mr. Brier said that officials told him that in absence of an official council vote, he could only host a private event. He was further instructed that the could not use the flag pole in front of Barrington Town Hall to fly the Pride flag.

Mr. Brier made a mental note to revisit the issue this year, and did so recently. The item appeared on the May council agenda, listed as "Recognizing the Month of June as Barrington Pride Month, Honoring Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Other (LGBTQIA+) Community." And members of the council voted unanimously to approve the resolution.

Mr. Brier said he proposed the resolution in an effort to further is primary guiding principle as a member of the council: "to cultivate an even better Barrington."

Resolution details

The resolution calls for the council to designate and joyously celebrate the month of June annually as Barrington Pride Month, and to fly a Pride flag on the town hall flagpole for the month of June. It also calls for the council to direct Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha to accommodate a flag-raising ceremony held annually during the month of June.

Involved with the effort

Barrington Town Council member Jacob Brier said there were a number of people who helped with the recent effort to make June Barrington Pride Month.

Sofia Denise (BHS student)

Violet Johnson (BHS student)

Sara Jordeno 

Andy Klein

Carl Kustell

Lisa Lowenstein

Adam Mastoon

Peter Neivert

Arthur Richter

Erika Sevetson

Stacey Siravo-Bazin (BHS teacher, advisor of the GSA)

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