Flags will fly along Route 109 near Choate Park 

By Theresa Knapp

In celebration of Pride Month, eight Pride Flags will fly on lamppost flagpoles on Route 109 near Choate Park between June 4 and June 10.  

On June 4, the first weekend of Pride Month, at 9 a.m., Pride flags will be raised on the eight lampposts along Route 109 between Lincoln and Evergreen Streets (four flags on each side of the street), followed by a celebration at the Choate Park Pavilion.  

The “Progress Pride Flag” is an updated version of the more commonly recognized rainbow flag, which was created in 1978. 

Residents Andrea Moores and Cyndy Ellis petitioned the Medway Select Board in April to raise the flags. 

Moores said that, “In 2018, the [rainbow] Pride flag was redesigned to include the Chevron which consists of black, brown, light blue, pink and white stripes, and those were added to represent marginalized people of color, trans individuals, and those living with HIV and AIDS. So that’s the flag that we’d like to use because that’s the flag that’s most inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.” 

Ellis told the Select Board, “The Pride flag, for those in this community, sends a message of inclusion and respect. To see that flag flying will tell members of this community they are accepted, they are loved, and they can be authentically who they are.” 

Moores said, “This means a lot to me and I know it’s going to mean a lot to my children.”