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Richmond raises Progress flag for Pride month, faces backlash from protesters
Mayor Levar Stoney, City Council members and queer community leaders met at City Hall on Friday morning to officially recognize June as Pride month and raise the Progress flag alongside the Richmond city and American flags. The flag-raising event began under the Stoney administration five years ago as an effort to highlight the importance of LGBTQ history. It also serves as a symbol for current and future queer residents that the city is a welcoming place to reside, Stoney said. ... Dozens of supporters attended the event, as well as some protesters. They raised concerns not with the city’s position on LGBTQ issues, but with the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
5 years after Virginia Beach mass shooting, the scars haven’t healed
Survivors and family members of the victims who died in a mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center five years ago are still trying to heal. They’ve found some solace in connecting with others who have had a similar experience. And they’re hopeful financial support for their ongoing mental health care will soon come from a new state fund. But the pain of that horrid day has stayed with them. Many sons, daughters, siblings, spouses of the victims suffer from endless grief, confusion and isolation. They long for closure that may never come, but have not entirely given up hope.