Hundreds march for gay pride in Seaside
Seaside >> The rainbow colors of the Monterey County LGBTQ+ community shouted Saturday during a pride parade with allies in Seaside.
Some 700 people took part in the Peninsula Pride Celebration and Parade, starting on Fremont Boulevard and ending at Oldemeyer Center on Hilby Avenue.
The turnout, said Tyller Williamson, one of the event's organizers, was "way more than what I expected. It was just amazing."
There hasn't been a gay pride parade in the county for about 10 years, Williamson said. And Saturday's parade was the first one with an after-parade program.
David Reichard, another organizer, echoed Williamson's sentiments. "It was much bigger than I thought it was going to be," he said. "It was nice to see so many allies."
Monterey Peninsula churches joined the march along with such groups as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Monterey Peace and Justice Center and the Monterey Rape Crisis Center.
Signs carried by marchers read:
• "Health care for the 99 percent"
• "Love makes a family"
• "Know your truth"
• "Trans in beautiful"
• "Monterey is super gay"
• "COVFEFE: Cuz Only Very Fragile Egos Fear Equality"
At Oldemeyer Center there was an art exhibit, a silent auction along with, event T-shirt sales, support group tables, entertainment and speakers. The program ended with a drag show.
Father Jon Perez of Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church opened the event with an invocation.
"We are all that is in this world and we are part of it …," he said. "Let our hearts beat as one."
There was a moment of silence for those who have died of AIDS, been victims of abuse, those imprisoned and for the 49 people slain one year ago in the Pulse gay nightclub shootings in Orlando, Florida.
Seaside City Councilmember Kayla Jones, believed to be the only LGBTQ+ person to hold a public office in Monterey County, introduced the speakers.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta received cheers from the crowd when he was introduced.
"It is always good to be in a room where there is a lot of love, compared to the room I'm in in Washington, D.C.," he said.
He reflected on a week that featured "a roller coaster of emotions" in the nation's capital. The anniversaries of the Pulse attack and the shooting deaths of nine at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, along with the shootings at the GOP baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, all weighed heavily on him, he said.
"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," he said. When such events occur, he said, we realize that more unites us than divides us. He said the LGBTQ community has learned to fight for its rights.
"After today, after that parade … we will continue to fight for all of our rights," Panetta said. "On that parade route today, we saw that love. … Let us continue loving each other and our community."
The city of Seaside City Council voted 4-1 to make June Pride Month. And county District 4 Supervisor Jane Parker issued a similar proclamation from her office. She said she expects the county will approve the proclamation on June 27.
Lisa Cisneros, a civil rights attorney, said the roots of gay pride began with resistance and personal affirmation. "We had to show the world who we really are," she said. "Let's commit ourselves to thread together our values."
She pointed out that those who are against the LGBTQ+ community are also against immigrants, the poor and other groups. "If you are here today, stand proud," she said.
ACLU attorney Michelle Welsh gave of history of the rights the LGBTQ+ community has gained since she began law school 43 years ago. "We haven't had a gay pride celebration for a long time, I think, because we've been so busy," (fighting for LGBTQ+ rights), she said.
A major hurdle for the community these days is opposing religious exemptions from anti-discrimination laws. "We need to oppose them every time …," she said. "Let's continue together as a community to get this work done."
Organizers will be meeting soon to decide how to move the momentum from the event forward, Williamson said.