Fresno’s Pride parades and flag raises are done: Is that it?
Fresno, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Following Fresno State’s Pride Flag raising ceremony and Fresno’s 34th annual Pride Parade in the opening days of June, LGBTQ community leaders have given Fresnans the added task of reflecting for the rest of the month on the reasons behind these displays.
“Today we raise the flag not for us we raise it for the allies that need to come out more boldly,” City of Fresno LGBTQ Liason Robin McGehee said.
McGehee says when allies come forward in solidarity, it takes away from the emboldened demeanor of religious groups and people who would otherwise bully queer people.
“That emboldening creates self-hate, self-harm, and violence,” McGehee said.
McGehee’s message to allies was echoed by Fresno State University Diversity Officer Rashanda Booker.
“It’s not like, ‘Hey, congratulations, we got some gay people! Have a good day!'” Booker said, “That’s not what is happening. It is a call to action.”
Booker says Pride is a perfect example of how solidarity, understanding, and empathy can lead to a form of solidarity beyond support.
“We know that, unfortunately, the oppressed become the oppressors – and we go against each other,” Booker says, “I encourage you, not just during Pride month, not just when we raise the flag — to be unified in making sure that everyone is free.”
Bryan Cauwels, President of Fresno Rainbow Pride also said allies are an integral part of the LGBTQ in the days leading up to Fresno’s Pride Parade.
“It’s been a breath of fresh air to have the city cooperating and working with us,” Cauwels said, “if you’re talking like, 20 years ago, we’d always run into issues with the city.”
Cauwels says city officials would continuously sabotage the parade as recently as five to six years ago, alleging permit issues or technicalities.
Cauwels says in previous years the parade also had to contend with various hate groups, but with the overwhelming support of allies, it is no longer a concern.
As allies, it can be easy to remove oneself from the causes we support because we are not always affected.
This Pride month in Fresno community leaders remind and invite us to fully immerse ourselves and understand that the plights of our friends, family members, and neighbors are in fact our own.
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