As Pride Month raises its fantastic colors on the Central Coast, it feels extra prescient.
History feels omnipresent, rather than in the not-too-distant past, when it comes to discrimination—both outright and under-the-radar—against the LGBTQ-plus community.
The outrage against what rainbow flags symbolize for some people isn’t unique to the Santa Ynez Valley. And the irony in that outrage is how impeccably it worked to bring awareness to the issues that continue to exist for certain members of our society.
Gay. Lesbian. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Intersex. Asexual.
In June, we celebrate the fact that they can be visible. That they no longer have to hide who they are. Even though some people in Santa Ynez made it overtly clear that they should stay hidden because to be visible is apparently to be “political.”
Pride is about resistance; it’s about standing up to society and staking a claim, proclaiming a right to exist and forcing change. Pride Month commemorates the historic Stonewall uprising against police raiding gay bars over and over again, arresting those inside, beating them, and prosecuting them for being gay.
It’s about celebrating visibility, personhood.
While some may claim that society has come a long way since June 28, 1969, Santa Ynez Valley residents, their actions, and the fight over something meant to symbolize joy and freedom prove that society is nowhere near where it needs to be.
People like Solvang City Councilmember Robert Clarke just don’t seem to understand that the rainbow flag was created as a symbol of pride for the gay community—whose members lived in the dark for so long, being true to themselves only in the shadows. Like so many minority communities, they were persecuted, arrested simply for being themselves.
Those colors are a way of proclaiming a space, reality, visibility, and truth. And while those colors may have initially represented white, gay men, they have grown to be an umbrella for more. Even that has been a hard push, one that’s ongoing for members of the trans community, especially, right now.
All I really heard in the fight over hanging Pride-themed banners in Solvang was a purposeful lack of understanding, a bigotry that’s imbedded within the psyche of those who’ve neglected to see the life experiences of those who are different. A desperate grasp at culture war fodder to make themselves seem relevant. An outright refusal to see reality through the eyes of another. That perception makes it easy to be upset about being “forced” to view a flag that reminds you that the world is bigger than you. That perception is an excuse for ignorance, an excuse to be angry and scapegoat something by labeling it “political,” when it’s so much deeper than that.
With anti-LGBTQ-plus sentiment invading our law-making processes, taking up space during school board and city council meetings, and commanding so much screen time around the country, Pride Month is a necessary reminder that people should be celebrated for being who they are in a world where some folks want them to be anything but.
The Canary already has an outfit picked out for the parade. Send comments to [email protected].
