St. Charles to fly pride flag, a major step to activist

Pride flag Photo credit Getty Images

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — For the first time, the Pride Flag will be raised outside the St. Charles Municipal Building, as the suburb begins its observance of Pride Month.

Michael Stroud of the group Out in Fox Valley has been working with St. Charles leaders on ways to make the suburb more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and other groups.

He said the decision to raise the Pride Flag is an important step making marginalized people feel welcome.

“It gives them that confidence to know that they’re supported, that they’re accepted and that, of course, it gets better,” Stroud said.

Stroud's next project is to bring a yearly pride parade to the area.

He hopes to hold the first one sometime in the late summer or early fall in St. Charles.

His eventual goal is to rotate the parade yearly among three suburbs: St. Charles, Batavia and Geneva.