San Mateo 

In the City of San Mateo for the first time, the rainbow flag will be hanging at City Hall the entire month of June as a show of unity and support of our LGBTQ community. 

Half Moon Bay

For the first time, the rainbow flag will be hanging at City Hall for the entire month of June as a show of unity and support of LGBTQ individuals and families in our community. 

San Carlos

Redwood City  

The city of Redwood City Pride flag raising ceremony.

San Mateo County flag raising in Redwood City.

Below is a transcript of one of those speeches.

“My name is Frankie Sapp, the Program Director for the San Mateo County Pride Center.  My pronouns are he/his/him. Thank you to the county for acknowledging what this month means to the LGBTQ community.

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate, but it would be a dishonor to not acknowledge how much the world is hurting right now. We are dealing with so much pain and suffering. We are experiencing and witnessing a global pandemic, the overdose crisis, and the fallout from systemic violence and oppression.  It is not lost on me that we celebrate Pride because of an uprising led by our brown and black trans ancestors who were tired of unjust violence. It was their frustration and rage that led to courage which grants us the freedoms we experience today.

My own narrative as a trans person was informed while my awareness of systemic and institutionalized oppression grew. As I learned language to describe the discomfort and disassociation I had with my body, I also learned about racism, feminism, and oppression. At that time in my life, I was deciding whether my hatred for my body outweighed the fear I felt to pass as a brown man in California. I can’t even imagine how much that level of fear would have been heightened if I were Black.

To our Black LGBTQ community members, I want you to know the Pride Center team hears you. We are witnessing your pain and we are holding space for you.  Pride was ignited from a fight and the fight continues with us. We ARE carrying the torch and, if necessary, we WILL pass the torch. And, when the time is right, we WILL celebrate, because we are so worth celebrating, each and every one of us.

We are so beautiful. We are diverse. We are creative. We are unique. We are fluid. We sparkle.

And we are proud.

Thank you.
Francisco (Frankie) Sapp, San Mateo County Pride Center, Program Director

 

To learn more about the San Mateo County Pride Center please click here. To learn more about all the activities planned for this month visit: https://www.smcpridecelebration.com/