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Happy Pride Month
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City Proclamation Recognizing June as Pride Month

Authored on
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The City of Santa Barbara celebrates its diverse and vibrant LGBTQ+ community, recognizing its members' immense contributions and resilience. In honor of Pride Month, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting equality, inclusivity, and acceptance for all. 

The below proclamation was issued on June 13th, 2024, and will be accepted by the Pacific Pride Foundation during the June 25th council meeting.


"PROCLAMATION 
LGBTQ,+ PRIDE MONTH 
JUNE 2024 

WHEREAS, 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots-six days of intense protests in June 1969 following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village that specifically targeted lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) patrons-which galvanized the worldwide LGBTQ+ rights movement; and 

WHEREAS, despite much progress, many within the LGBTQ+ community still face discrimination and inequity for being themselves and being open about who they love; and 

WHEREAS, the LGBTQ+ community, along with advocates, allies, and organizations such as Pacific Pride Foundation, continue to fight for inclusivity, equality, and acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning community; and 

WHEREAS, the City of Santa Barbara has long been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, including its first-ever openly gay member, Tom Roberts, and its landmark domestic partnership law for gay and lesbian couples, the first of its kind in the Central Coast in the years before mam·age equality in California; and 

WHEREAS, the City of Santa Barbara has for many years included sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policies, has appointed many LGBTQ+ residents to commissions and committees throughout the years, and has hosted the annual Pride Festival and other cultural events; 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RANDY ROWSE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Santa Barbara, do hereby proclaim June 2024 as PRIDE MONTH in Santa Barbara. I encourage residents to join in celebration and appreciation of the LGBTQ+ community by taking part in local Pride events and becoming advocates and allies who reject prejudice."

To learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ history, visit the History of Pride or the Library of Congress.