Building Pride in the San Gabriel Valley

Happy Friday San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ+ Residents!

This week has been a monumental one for LGBTQ+ folks in the San Gabriel Valley and our Board of Directors is ecstatic for the visible culture shift we are living in these days.

On Tuesday, the City Council of El Monte affirmed a proclamation in support of June as Pride Month. The impact was further amplified this Wednesday when the Baldwin Park City Council became the fifth city to release a Proclamation in support of Pride Month. On Monday, we will receive Pride Month Proclamation #6 from the City of Pasadena's Mayor Victor Gordo and with this we share this letter with you. As an organization whose mission is to promote a safe and inclusive San Gabriel Valley for all people of all orientations and gender identities, we are incredibly honored and humbled that 52 years since Stonewall the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement continues in our own neighborhoods.

Since our inception in 2011, the Center has been working to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Due to the Safer at Home order, it has been impossible for the LGBTQ+ community together in our usual regional Pride Celebrations, as they have all been canceled or postponed indefinitely. That is why recognizing the LGBTQ+ community's contributions in our society, is needed even more, especially by such institutions as City Governments, where many of our LGBTQ+ Community members live and work. Although there have been many advancements over the last five decades, our team knows there is still much work to be done. We must not forget that many LGBTQ+ people do not enjoy protections in healthcare, housing, adoptions and public businesses such as restaurants, bars, etc.

LGBTQ+ folks have made, and continue to make, positive and long-lasting contributions to society by advancing areas of diversity, inclusion, equity, and respect. Through the courage to stand and fight for our basic human rights to love and be loved we immensely honor and appreciate the raising of the LGBTQ+ Progress Pride Flag as a symbolic gesture of solidarity. We are resolute in support of local and regional efforts to increase the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities that live, work and raise families in the San Gabriel Valley. Our Board of Directors looks forward to the continued advancement for a future of No Hate in the SGV.

The Center applauds the leader efforts of the various City Councils, Community-Based Organizations, Donors, and residents who continue to further advocacy efforts for the LGBTQ+ community year round. To conclude, our President, Camila Camaleón, and Vice President, Christian Port, will be speaking on Monday the 7th at 12:30pm in support of the LGBTQ+ Flag Raising at Pasadena City Hall. Due to COVID-19 this event will have limited spacing but we encourage you to watch online and also support the SGV LGBTQ+ Center's efforts by joining our Building Pride Campaign.

The Building Pride Campaign is a capacity-building initiative to cement the LGBTQ+ community in the SGV permanently. Be a part of LGBTQ+ HERstory in the San Gabriel Valley and become a donor today. Help us build a new home for the programs, services, and spaces that we need. With your support we can make sure that our community is safer, stronger, and better represented.

In Pride,

The San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ+ Center

Board of Directors

Pictured above from Left to Right

CEO at PPPSGV Sheri Bonner, President Camila Camaleón, Mayor of Pasadena Victor Gordo, Vice President Christian Port, and Vice President of DE&I at Huntington Hospital Pamela Weatherspoon