WESTFIELD — It was a historic moment Friday morning when retired Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice John M. Greaney raised the Pride flag at city hall on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Greaney, a Westfield native and Saint Mary’s High School graduate, authored the concurring opinion in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health in 2003 in which he agreed with the majority opinion that denying couples the right to same-sex marriage was discrimination.
The ruling made Massachusetts the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.
“This is one of the most momentous occasions in our history, and represents the progress we’ve made,” Greaney said Friday. “When we did this in 2003 I never thought it would sweep the nation the way it did.”
The flag raising saw city and state officials gather on the front lawn at City Hall to recognize the city’s LGBTQ community.
City Councilor Kristen Mello, an event organizer, said the decision to hold the flag raising came after the recent Black Lives Matter protest against racism and police brutality held on Park Square Green.
“Someone asked if it would be difficult to raise the flag, so we got together and created an event,” she said. “We didn’t know how quickly the project would come together.”
The event, held on the heels of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this month barring LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace, was a joint venture between the newly formed Westfield Pride Alliance and city officials, including Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. The mayor said he supported the flag raising and what it represents.
“Although we may all be different, it is our differences that make us stronger,” he said in his remarks.
Westfield Pride Alliance organizer Dennis Aikens hosted the event, and said the organization is the first-ever in the city. “The gay community wouldn’t be anywhere without its allies, without you,” he told the crowd.
Aikens said he attempted to have a Pride flag raising in the past, but it never came to fruition. He thanked Humason for supporting the cause.
“My brothers and sisters of color, gay, lesbians, and transgender people have been under an oppressive weight,” he said. “This is happening today under this mayor.”
Aikens, an advisor to state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, lauded the senator for seeking a deeper understanding of the LGBTQ community, the struggles it faces and the personalities behind the movement.
“I’m so proud he wanted an openly gay man as an adviser,” Aikens said. “Being a straight man who didn’t understand, John Velis asked me to explain our life difficulties. He is a warrior, a major in the United States Army. I knew in John Velis we would have a warrior working for us.”
Velis called the event “and absolutely awesome occasion” and spoke of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military that banned openly gay service members until 2011.
“I thought it was an antiquated notion of humanity,” he said. “Every person should be proud that they are who they are and never run from that.”
Alexander Campurciani also spoke. He said that as a young, gay man of color, he wants to create a community action group to help gay people come out. He told the story of coming out to his father, who supported him. He also spoke of his difficulty in coming out while in high school.