As rain subsided Saturday morning, a rainbow appeared in the City of Syracuse. This one will be up for the rest of the month.
The local LGBTQ+ community, allies, and activists gathered in front of city hall for the annual Pride flag-raising ceremony.
Jessica Cordero Shepherd, a CNY Pride board member and local business owner, hosted the morning’s festivities. She emphasized the necessity of public celebration.
“We gather here every year to celebrate the raising of the pride flag, but this morning feels especially necessary as we grapple with the world around us,” Shepherd told the crowd.
“Today, leaving our homes to gather here, we all chose joy. Celebrating today and raising this flag reinforces to our entire community that we belong here.”
Themes of visible, unapologetic joy were carried forward by Jaleel Campbell, program director for Project Out Loud and founder of Jaleel Campbell Studios.
Marking his eighth coming-out anniversary, Campbell spoke passionately about the importance of Black, queer visibility and the audacity it takes to carve out spaces that haven't historically existed.
“Living out loud has meant choosing to be seen and heard, even when visibility felt uncomfortable,” Campbell said. “It has meant refusing to shrink myself for anybody. It's meant allowing every part of my identity - Black, queer, creative, soft, loud - to exist in the same body without apology.”
The gathering highlighted the stark contrast between the struggles of older generations and the thriving, organized community available to queer youth today.
Mark Kavouksorian, 66, reflected on an era when simply being gay could cost someone their livelihood.
“I remember when you would be fired if anybody at work even suspected you were gay,” Kavouksorian recalled. He said watching the flag go up brought him a deep sense of relief.
However, he expressed concern over the country’s current political trajectory, and pressure from President Trump’s administration on the LGBTQ+ community. He questioned, “In this day and age, are we going to go back to that?”
For younger attendees, like Aiden McDermott, who runs the community Instagram page Queer Quarterly, the Syracuse queer community has been nothing short of life-saving.
McDermott delivered a speech addressed to his younger self and to other isolated youth.
“I used to be that kid holding on to hope and praying for a better life. And now I'm here standing with all of you at City Hall,” McDermott shared. “I hope that our visibility, our flag flying today, our joy and love can help give someone else hope.”
The flag was raised by Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, whom speakers praised for his decades-long legislative support, including his role as an original co-sponsor of the 2011 Marriage Equality Act.
The Syracuse Gay and Lesbian Chorus provided the emotional heartbeat of the morning. Celebrating their 35th anniversary season under the theme “To SYR, with Love,” the chorus delivered an a cappella rendition of Can You Feel the Love Tonight.
For guest conductor Megan Schoonmaker Arnold, the performance was a metaphor for the broader community.
“It’s four-part harmony... and it kind of is the community,” Arnold explained. “If we're not all working together and we're not all listening, then we don't sound good. We sang a cappella because all we need is each other.”
Chorus member Sophia Pierce echoed that exact sentiment.
“The fact that we're all able to show up for each other,” Pierce said, “is to be like the light in the darkness for ourselves and everyone around us.”
The flag will watch over Syracuse for the remainder of Pride Month and more events will follow…
June 9, 2026:
Pride Interfaith Service
7 PM | All Saints Church | 1340 Lancaster Ave, Syracuse, NY
June 13, 2026:
CNY Pride Parade (11 AM) and Festival (12 PM – 5 PM)
11 AM – 5 PM Progress Park, Inner Harbor, Syracuse, NY
June 18, 2026:
CNY Pride Night with the Syracuse Mets
4 PM | NBT Bank Stadium | 1 Tex Simone Drive, Syracuse, NY
June 19, 2026:
Syracuse Gay and Lesbian Chorus: Summer Concert
7 PM | May Memorial Universalist Unitarian Church | 3800 E Genesee St, Syracuse, NY
June 30, 2026:
LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dinner
6 PM – 8 PM | CNY Philanthropy Center | 431 E Fayette St, Syracuse, NY
