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Roanoke proclaims June 2026 Pride Month; local LGBTQ+ groups brief council on services
Summary
Roanoke Mayor Joseph El Cobb read a proclamation declaring June 2026 Pride Month and welcomed leaders from local LGBTQ+ organizations who described community services, youth support and concerns about threats to transgender residents.
Roanoke Mayor Joseph El Cobb read a proclamation at the council's June 1 meeting declaring June 2026 as Pride Month and invited representatives of local LGBTQ+ organizations to introduce themselves and outline programs serving the community.
The mayor told the chamber the city "embraces the diversity of our residents, including our LGBTQ plus community," and then asked visiting groups to describe their work. Valerie Brown and others joined representatives from the Rono Diversity Center, the Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge, Southwest Virginia Pride, Rowan Oak Pride, Youth Saga and community groups that provide HIV testing, youth peer support and family resources.
Todd Rothrock of the Council of Community Services described drop-in services and free HIV and hepatitis C care and prevention. Reverend Rhonda Thorne of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge said her congregation has provided safe space and AIDS advocacy since the crisis began, and Taylor Medley, a social worker and Youth Saga facilitator, said the peer-support group aims to make Roanoke a place where LGBTQ youth can stay and thrive.
Dolly Davis Dalberg, co-founder of Ladies and Gents of the Blue Ridge, thanked the council for recognition and said the transgender community "is under attack in just about every way" and stressed the need for safety and services. Garland Gravely of the House of Expression described ballroom culture's role in local arts and community-building.
Council members praised organizations and highlighted the city’s rising Municipal Equality Index score, noting that local government efforts and partnerships have helped increase services since 2018. Mayor Cobb and other councilors emphasized that proclamations are a public acknowledgment of the organizations’ work rather than a policy action.
The council concluded the recognition with a group photo and offers to prepare additional proclamations for organizations that requested them.
