This is a formal petition to the Skaneateles Village Board and Mayor Martin L. Hubbard expressing the extreme disappointment at their decision to unanimously reject the Rainbow Pride Flag from being displayed on village property this year.

Last year, for the first time in its history - and 50 years after Stonewall - Skaneateles flew a Pride Flag in front of Village Hall as the image on this petition shows, and more than a dozen local businesses raised the rainbow flag outside their establishments. Walking around the town was truly a vibrant and beautiful celebration of equality for both residents and visitors alike.

As documented in the Village Board Operations Meeting Minutes from March 28, 2020, the Board voted on a measure to prevent the Pride Flag from being displayed this year and had the following to say regarding the Flag Resolution:

"Trustee Eriksen reported that he looked at several other municipalities in terms of policies about flag flying and found most to be overly burdensome and problematic. He said being such a small municipality makes it difficult to distinguish legitimate requests from disingenuous requests. The Village is so small that it is difficult to identify genuine versus non-genuine, so we can't have a working policy. Resolution #2020-72: On the motion of Trustee Eriksen, seconded by Trustee Stokes-Cawley, it was resolved and unanimously carried (5-0 in favor) to adopt a policy that the Village will only fly the American flag and not permit flying any other flag on Village property."

I am asking for others to add their name to this letter to show the village board that we fully encourage this expression of support to the LGBTQ+ community and that Central New York is full of welcoming communities and allies on the path to equality for all citizens.

Our goal is to collect as many signatures before the May 28, 2020, 7:00 pm EST Village Board Meeting to persuade them to change their decision on Resolution #2020-72. Please fill out the form below to have your name added to the list.

#SkaneatelesPride will be used to track all posts and developments on social media regarding this issue.

Thank you in advance for your support! Love is love ❤️

Sincerely,

Mason S. Drastal