By Shereen Siewert
Members of the Marathon County Board of Directors will once again take up the issue of declaring June as ‘Pride Month,’ after a board member requested a motion to reconsider the decision.
The issue sparked dozens of letters to the editor and thousands of comments on social media, both for and against the declaration. The board in June voted to approve the declaration, which aims to to recognize the rights of all citizens in Marathon County regardless of age, gender identity, race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical challenges.
Supervisor Gary Beastrom, who voted to approve the measure, requested the reconsideration. It is unclear what prompted the request, and Beastrom was not immediately available for comment for this story.
The meeting, slated for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23 at the Marathon County Courthouse, does not include a designated time for public comment. The board’s rules do not specifically require comment, officials said, though the board could choose to allow comments if a majority vote to do so.
The original ‘Pride Month’ resolution passed by a vote of 20-15.
