Office of the Mayor

Proclamation

Lawrence, Kansas

WHEREAS:   Lawrence is a city full of diverse backgrounds, culture and people; and

WHEREAS:   Queers & Allies was originally founded in 1970 as the Gay Liberation Front at the University of Kansas and has sponsored Pride Week annually in Lawrence for 25 years; and

WHEREAS:   To commemorate the 38^th annual Pride Week held nationally, Queers & Allies is sponsoring a week’s worth of educational and social activities; and

WHEREAS:   The City of Lawrence Human Relations Ordinance states “The practice or policy of discrimination against persons by reason of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, ancestry, familial status, sexual orientation, or disability is a matter of concern to the City of Lawrence, since such discrimination not only threatens the rights and privileges of the inhabitants of the city, but also menaces the institutions and foundations of a free democratic state.”; and

WHEREAS:   The City’s recognition of this event underscores its determination to support, preserve, and advance the civil rights guaranteed for all of its citizens;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael Dever, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, do hereby proclaim the week of April 19 – April 25, 2009 as

“LAWRENCE PRIDE WEEK”

                                                                   Michael Dever, Mayor

March 24, 2009