Last year, a group of demonstrators gathered outside of Rockland’s courthouse with signs and flags and held what was dubbed by the local paper as the first Pride event in Rockland. What a wonderful thing it was to see a Pride demonstration in our hometown! This year, community members were hoping to see an expansion of this effort with picnics and dances, but then Covid-19 happened.

Not to be deterred, locals decorated their front porches and businesses flew flags to show their support of Rockland’s LGBTQ+ community.

OUT Maine, a non-profit organization for LGBTQ+ youth located on Park Street in Rockland, asked locals to share how they were celebrating Pride while social distancing.  Immediately, OUT Maine’s social media filled up with snapshots from Rockland and, also, across the state of Maine!  

OUT Maine would like to thank everyone who donated or fundraised for OUT Maine this past June in support of their virtual programming for LGBTQ+ youth. We’re particularly grateful to Rockland businesses Rock City Coffee, Good Tern Co-op and Curator. 

Here are some of our favorite #PrideAcrossRockland snapshots!

Heather Robinson Goff’s porch and garden. On Facebook, Heather wrote “I couldn't take my son to Pride this year so we celebrated by decorating our porch.”

Good Tern Co-op flies a Pride flag on Route 1. Front-end manager Peyton Feener strikes a pose outside the store. For the month of June, the Good Tern Co-op rounded up for OUT Maine raising $891.23 for the non-profit!

Rock City Coffee flies a Pride flag outside its cafe on Main Street. Black Trans Lives Matter signs are also displayed in its window. Rock City Coffee and Hello Hello Books held fundraisers for OUT Maine this past winter and spring.  A percentage of sales from Rock City Roasters’ Maine Coast Pride coffee beans benefits OUT Maine.

OUT Maine on Park Street features some of its Pride flag collection in the office windows.

A garden fence on West Meadow Road is decorated for Pride and the 4th of July.