BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — June is pride month, a time for the LGBTQ+ community across the country and here at home to recognize those that came before them and celebrate individual identities.
23ABC’s Mythili Gubbi has more from a leader in the community and what he says the month means to him.
More than just parades, colors, and flags, to the LGBTQ+ community in Kern County, this month and every day is a time to be proud of their identity and remind those around them that there’s still work to be done.
The significance of the month goes back to June 1969 in New York City when LGBTQ+ communities protested oppression in an event that came to be known as the Stonewall Uprising. Jaime Ortiz with the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity says the occasion has a special meaning to different people.
“Pride means that we are here. We are proud of who we are. And we deserve to be recognized. And we deserve the same rights as everybody else. I think pride is exactly what it means: be proud. Be proud of who you are. You are not any less or any different than anybody else. Just be proud of who you love or how you see yourself.”
The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity is there to educate, to be a safe space. It has online activities and other gatherings throughout the month.