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School director urges commissioners to allow pride flag over administration building, cites mental-health impacts
Summary
John Kirk Martin, a local school director, urged the Monroe County commissioners to approve hanging a pride flag over the administration building, saying the symbol provides inclusion and can reduce suicide risk among LGBTQ youth.
John Kirk Martin, identifying himself as a school director in the Stratham Berry School District, addressed Monroe County commissioners at their June 4 meeting about a prior decision concerning a flag to be displayed over the county administration building.
Martin said an item on the May 21, 2025 agenda had been separated so the board would vote specifically on hanging an American flag and a pride flag over the administration building. He said a commissioner had argued the administration building serves a broad range of constituents and therefore the county should avoid placing the pride flag there.
Martin said the pride flag is a symbol of inclusion and belonging and described the personal and community significance of seeing the flag displayed downtown. He said LGBTQ youth face disproportionately high rates of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide and that visible symbols of inclusion can make a difference in young people’s lives. He asked the commissioners to lead and to defend voices in the community that face exclusion.
Martin closed by noting the size of recent local pride events and by urging the county to consider the flag’s role in signaling that “all of us are included and all of us belong.”
