In the face of hate and threats, Pride takes on renewed urgency in the Central Valley - Local News Matters

A Luminous Record of Trans History and Queer Futures

Two decades ago, before I’d embraced my own queer identity, I fell in love with Pride month. My first Pride was a modest block party in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I was a rainbow-clad teenager entranced by the first drag performances I’d ever seen. Since then, I’ve volunteered at Pride festivals in Oklahoma, marched in parades in Washington, D.C., celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, and danced the night awa…

In the face of hate and threats, Pride takes on renewed urgency in the Central Valley - Local News Matters

AS THE CENTRAL VALLEY LGBTQ+ community began its Pride Month celebrations this June, supporters received a stark reminder of why the annual event still matters. The Stockton Police Department confirmed a string of anti-LGBTQ+ “hate incidents” that started the first week of Pride. The city’s two queer advocacy centers – Central Valley Gender Health & Wellness and the San Joaquin Pride Center – were both vandalized, with a brick thrown through the…