At 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers Sonoma, the City of Sonoma will be formally recognizing June as Pride Month by delivering a proclamation of support for the LGBTQIA+ community, and declaring June as pride month. This will happen at the June 18th City Council meeting at 6:00 pm. All are welcome to attend in the City Council Chambers. The Proclamation is to be read by Mayor Patricia Farrar-Rivas.
The City of Sonoma has had a formally supported pride event by the City of Sonoma in June for the past three years with the support of Out in The Vineyard, Sonoma Valley Pride, and Wake UP Sonoma. This proclamation officially honors and celebrates the rich diversity, resilience, and contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community and acknowledges and commemorates the historic Stonewall uprising of June 1969 which was a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and serves as a powerful reminder of the courage, strength and activism that has brought us closer to equity and inclusion.
The City of Sonoma pride events were initiated informally in 2019 when local residents became aware of the homophobia being promoted by Ken Mattson who was buying up large amounts of property in Sonoma. When he purchased the General’s Daughter which had previously proudly displayed a pride flag in the month of June each year, Mattson ordered this flag to be removed once he was the owner. Staff who worked at that establishment at the time, initiated Sonoma Valley Pride as a way to push back against the homophobia they did not want to take hold in the community, and the pride events have grown from there into what we see today and continue to grow annually.
Pride activity is extended throughout Sonoma Valley, not just in city limits. The Sonoma County Commission on human rights passed a resolution in April 2023 for the entire county, and the City of Sonoma is in lock step with that resolution and formally making that known with this proclamation.
Pride events continue throughout the month of June throughout the County.
For more information, contact Lisa Storment, wakeupsonoma@gmail.com or Gary Saperstein gary@outinthevineyard.com
Be First to Comment