California Mayor Proclaims June as LGBT Pride Month
June 5, 2013 by Marty Rouse, National Field Director
Last night at a meeting of the Porterville City Council, Mayor Virginia Gurrola issued a proclamation designating June as LGBT Pride Month. The city council meeting was contentious. Some members of the community praised the mayor for her bravery, but many opponents of equality made their opinions clear.
The Porterville City Council was the only city government in the state to support Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in California in 2008. The fact that the mayor issued this proclamation only five years after Prop. 8 passed speaks volumes. However, last night’s city council meeting shows we still have ways to go.
Issuing proclamations is solely the jurisdiction of the mayor, but the rest of the city council typically signs the document. However, none of the city councilors joined with the mayor in supporting the proclamation.
The neighboring town of Visalia issued a similar proclamation only a day earlier.
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