This June, the Pride Month flags being displayed on Franklin Street have been chosen directly by Chapel Hill community members.
The decision to get community input about which flags they wished to see came after some town members shared concerns in 2022 that certain LGBTQIA+ flags were being flown over others— specifically, the absence of the lesbian flag.
The nonprofit group Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership used a survey to determine exactly which Pride flags to display for 2023.
“We wanted community input for how they wanted their downtown to look,” said the group’s director of marketing Stephanie Cobert. “Last year we put up pride flags but we had some feedback that, you know, people wanted to see other flags, not just the main rainbow pride flag. They wanted to see ones representing other groups.”
So this year,” she continued, “we decided to launch a survey to see which flags exactly people wanted to see, to get that feedback, so that way we could accurately display what our community wanted.”
The survey was a Google Form that allowed people to pick from images of different Pride flags and provide comments about which ones they wanted to see and why. The survey had more than 150 individual respondents and since people could pick the multiple flags they wanted to see, there were more than 700 responses.
Pride Flag Survey Results (Graphic via Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership)
The survey results found the most wanted flags include the Progress Pride Flag, Transgender Pride Flag and Lesbian Pride Flag. The flags will hang from Henderson Street through the 140 W. Plaza all throughout June, except for June 14th when they will temporarily be replaced with American flags for Flag Day.
According to Cobert, Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership wants to continue using community feedback in its work.
“We wanted to get community feedback because we would never want anyone to feel excluded,” she said. “So we wanted to ask our local community what they’d like to see. And going forward, we hope that this is the start of getting local feedback and really reaching out to the community for that engagement so that they feel like their voices are getting heard.”
To kick off Pride Month, the second annual Chapel Hill Pride Promenade will take place on June 3rd. The event is a collaboration with Chapel Hill Community Arts and Culture and will include music, activities and celebration. To learn more, click here.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
LGBTQ Pride Month: 'Paying it Forward' with Piedmont Health's Beth RosenbergJune is Pride Month, so this time Aaron welcomes geriatric cardiologist Dr. Beth Rosenberg, Piedmont's director of employee health.
Naomi Dix Shares Importance of Drag Performances, LGBTQ VisibilityNaomi Dix got active in the drag community back in 2014. Nine years later, she's one of the best-known drag queens in the Triangle.
Downtown Chapel Hill To Diversify Pride Flags, Will Add Lesbian FlagAt the start of Pride Month, downtown Chapel Hill is decorated with all the colors of the rainbow. Pride flags hang throughout town representing different factions of the LGBTQIA+ community. But, community members noticed the pink, orange, red and white of the lesbian flag is missing.
Chapel Hill Earns Top Score in 2024 Review of LGBTQ+ ProtectionsThe Town of Chapel Hill once again earned a top score in a national review of local LGBTQ+ policies and services.
Donald Trump Has Sweeping Plans for a Second Administration. Here’s What He’s ProposedDonald Trump has proposed sweeping changes in a second administration, including scaling back civil rights and expanding presidential powers.
Chapel Hill's Hargraves Community Center Kids Join UNC Men's Basketball for Anthem, GameWhen the UNC men’s basketball team took the court minutes before tip-off against Miami on Monday, they had more than a dozen special guests with them. The Tar Heels partnered with the Hargraves Community Center in Chapel Hill to have several children in its youth programs join the team for its game as part of […]
Orange County Local Governments Share Events for 2024 Black History MonthWith February here, the town governments of Orange County are sharing a variety of ways for community members to engage with Black History Month. The annual, month-long observance — made formal in 1976 — is recognized by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Orange County each year with resolutions or proclamations honoring it. Additionally, there are […]
Carrboro Town Councilmember Eliazar Posada Named Equality NC Interim DirectorCarrboro Town Councilmember Eliazar Posada was named the interim director of Equality NC on Thursday. Equality NC is an organization which advocates for rights and protections for the LGBTQ+ in North Carolina. “We are committed to fostering an inclusive LGBTQ+ community in North Carolina,” Posada said, “a space where everyone thrives authentically, supported by unwavering […]
'Celebration and A Protest': Chapel Hill's Second Annual Pride PromenadeA lively and colorful crowd gathered at the Peace and Justice Plaza on Saturday for the second annual Chapel Hill Pride Promenade.
Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Shares Local Pride Flag Survey ResultsThis June, the Pride Month flags being displayed on Franklin Street have been chosen directly by Chapel Hill community members. The decision to get community input about which flags they wished to see came after some town members shared concerns in 2022 that certain LGBTQIA+ flags were being flown over others— specifically, the absence of […]
›
There must surely be more than 150 people in the Chapel Hill community who would have an opinion on this, if it had been better publicised, and the article does not explain how the responses will be used. Having said that, does the Downtown Partnership really need an online survey to determine what true inclusivity looks like? Surely if there is even one vote, that flag needs to be on display; otherwise, you’re excluding folks. And a multiple-choice poll is in itself inherently exclusionary, since you are deciding the acceptable choices by what you include and how you label each item. There may be better ways than this to foster inclusive community downtown.
What a superfluous waste of “democratic process” by only 150 people who even give a rat’s derriere. There are far more (by several orders of magnitude) of former drinkers of Bud Light, even in Chapel Hill, who have dropped Bud Light/AB InBev from their grocery shopping list.