They may not have gotten the town's blessing to fly it in front of Town Hall, but members of Love Wins Little Compton hoisted the Pride flag high and proud as they held their second annual Pride celebration on the Commons Saturday afternoon.

The celebration, which recognizes and celebrates those of the LGBTQ+ persuasions, drew scores of residents to the common for an afternoon of solidarity, support and openness. The joyful participants contrasted with what some attendees believe was a bad move by the town council — the recent decision to deny organizers' request to fly the Pride flag  in front of town hall, when that permission was granted for last year's inaugural event.

"Visibility matters, especially in a small town," Love Wins co-president Megan Gonzalez said.

"If you're not willing to put up a flag, you're probably not going to do all the other hard work that we need to do to support the LGBTQ+ community," added fellow co-president Jenna Magnuski, in an interview.

The council's decision to reject the flag request was split 3-2. Councilor Gary Mataronas told the Times after the vote that his decision to vote against the flag had nothing to do with the nature of the event or the organization proposing it; instead, he came down to a practical matter, coupled with discussions in recent months that he said showed wide support in town for flying only the United States, Rhode Island and POW/MIA flags on town property.

Last week, one of those who voted to approve the request, Andrew Iriarte-Moore, said the decision was an opportunity missed.

Last June I saw first hand the incredible power the town council displayed by flying the Pride flag – dozens of residents of our town who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community were moved to tears because they had never been recognized publicly as a legitimate part of this town," wrote Iriarte-Moore, who spoke at the event Saturday. "As town council members we have the opportunity to lift up members of our community who might not always feel recognized. By simply flying a flag, we can tell them this: We see you. We accept you. We love you."