An Open Letter to the LGBTQ+ Community in Bangor and Beyond,

As someone who lives right in West Market Square—where this year’s Pride festivities and parade will be taking place—I want to wish you all a joyful, safe, and meaningful celebration. I know how important visibility and community are, and I respect your right to gather, express yourselves, and celebrate freely.

At the same time, I feel it's important to acknowledge something that shouldn't be forgotten: we live in the freest country on Earth. Here, you're not only allowed to be yourself—you’re protected in doing so. You can wave your flag, march in the streets, speak your mind, and celebrate who you are without fear of the government silencing you. That’s not oppression—that’s liberty. And it’s something truly worth celebrating.

In many parts of the world, LGBTQ+ individuals face brutal oppression—imprisonment, violence, even death—simply for existing. Parades like the one happening here in Bangor would be unthinkable in those places. Yet here, we can live openly, debate fiercely, and still go home with our rights intact. That’s a gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

That’s why I’ll be flying the American flag from my windows throughout Pride Month, during the Pride parade and weekend, and right through the Fourth of July and beyond. Not in opposition, but in solidarity with the idea that freedom belongs to all of us.

And I want to encourage others along the parade route to do the same. Fly your American flag—not as a political statement, but as a reminder that we're all Americans. No matter who we are, who we love, or how we live, we share the same Constitution, the same protections, and the same promise of liberty. That’s worth honoring. Let the stars and stripes fly proudly beside the rainbow ones—not in conflict, but in chorus.

So march on, wave your flags, live your truth. I’ll be waving mine too.

—A neighbor in West Market Square
Proud to be free. Proud to fly Old Glory. And proud to share that freedom with all of you.