Advocates blast Westmoreland commissioners for not recognizing Pride Month

Local leaders of a LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group on Wednesday accused Westmoreland County commissioners of refusing to recognize local diversity.

The group last week submitted a petition asking commissioners to proclaim June as Pride Month in the county. The request is not listed for consideration at Thursday’s commissioners meeting.

“They say they want to increase the population, but they don’t want to take steps to reach out to people to make them want to stay or move to the county,” said Jean Slusser, president of the Greensburg chapter of PFLAG, formerly known as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. “It’s a mystery to us why they wouldn’t do that.”

Commissioner Ted Kopas, a Democrat, said he supports the proclamation but his efforts to have it considered at Thursday’s meeting was rebuffed by Republican Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew.

“I asked them to (consider the proclamation) and received silent stares. I haven’t gotten any response. I certainly see this an an insult to this community,” Kopas said. “There are gay Republicans, too.”

Kertes and Chew did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The three commissioners are slated to consider a full agenda on Thursday. It includes approving five proclamations that recognize parks and recreation professionals, acknowledge the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the kickoff of the U.S. 250th birthday celebration in 2025.

The commissioners also are slated to name July as Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over month and recognize the 50th Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival next week at Twin Lakes Park.

In May, the commissioners unanimously approved seven proclamations that included honoring a local church, local tourism and the county’s drug court.

“I feel for these folks,” Kopas said the groups that sought the Pride Month proclamation. “They took the time to get petitions signed. We do these types of acknowledgements all the time.”

James Galik, president of the Westmoreland LGBTQ Interfaith Network, called the commissioners’ refusal to consider the Pride Month proclamation a slight.

He suggested it could be based on homophobic attitudes.

“This would be an easy and minimal thing to do,” Galik said. “It’s a step to show LGBTQ people in Westmoreland County they are recognized and have the right to exist.”

The commissioners meet at 10 a.m. at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street in Greensburg.