Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lgbtq Outreach topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Woodbridge proclaims June 'LGBTQ+ Bridal Month,' raises flag; police liaison stresses outreach
Summary
Mayor John McCormick and the Township Council proclaimed June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Bridal Month and raised a pride flag on June 3; Woodbridge Police LGBTQ liaison Officer Carrie Manzini described department outreach including a 'Safe Place' program.
Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick and the Township Council proclaimed June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Bridal Month and raised a pride flag outside Town Hall on June 3, 2025, a ceremony that included remarks from Police LGBTQ liaison Officer Carrie Manzini and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.
The proclamation, dated 06/03/2025 and read by Mayor McCormick, called on residents to "embrace the LGBTQ+ community and work together to foster a warm and hospitable community for all." The document was presented to Officer Manzini at the ceremony.
Officer Carrie Manzini, who the mayor identified as the township's LGBTQ liaison, told the crowd the police department is "here for you, and that we understand the unique circumstances and, challenges that you face." She described the Woodbridge Police Department Safe Place program as a partnership with local organizations and businesses intended "to provide a safe place for the LGBTQ community to report crimes, hate crimes, and other crimes to us." Manzini said representation matters: "When students are able to see themselves in their police department, it'll make our community safer because they will communicate and and work with us, and we will be able to better serve them and the broader community." (Officer Carrie Manzini)
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, who attended the event, said the ceremony "is a really New Jersey value" and praised local efforts to mark progress since Stonewall: "It's a privilege and a pleasure to be with all of you as we come together to celebrate all of the progress that has been made." (Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin)
Officials did not adopt a new ordinance at the ceremony; the mayor's proclamation was a formal statement of support and was distributed to the assembled public and to Officer Manzini.
The event combined the ceremonial presentation of the proclamation and flag-raising with brief remarks from elected officials and the police liaison. No votes or regulatory changes were recorded during the ceremony.
Community members who attended were invited to take photographs with the flag prior to the raising.
