Camarillo proclaims June 2025 Bridal Month; residents, organizers praise inclusivity

The Camarillo City Council presented a proclamation declaring June 2025 "Bridal Month" during its June meeting, welcoming representatives of Camarillo Bridal and the Love Always Wins in Camarillo (LAWIC) Foundation to accept the declaration.

The proclamation was presented by Mayor Kildee and recognized speakers including Michelle Burns, cofounder of Camarillo Bridal and director of the LAWIC Foundation, and Leander Hart Thomas, cofounder of Camarillo Pride and president of the LAWIC Foundation. "LAWIC stands for Love Always Wins in Camarillo, and that's our mantra," Burns said. Leander Hart Thomas told the council, "Doing what is right is not always easy, but it's always worth it."

Councilmember Santangelo placed the proclamation in a public‑health context, reading findings from the Trevor Project's 2024 national survey on LGBTQ+ youth to underscore why visible community supports matter. She summarized key findings during her remarks: "39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people," and that "LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in accepting communities, such as the city of Camarillo, attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in unaccepting communities."

Community members who signed up for general public comment spoke in support of the proclamation and described local outreach and mental‑health work. Reyna Nichols, who identified herself as a member of The Transverse, said, "This proclamation means a lot to me personally because this is a time when it would be easy to not issue it because of the political climate." Other residents and local business owners also thanked the council for continuing the city's public endorsement of inclusive events.

The presentation included brief remarks about the growth of the Camarillo Bridal event; organizers said attendance rose from about 650 visitors the prior year to more than 1,200 this year. Organizers also noted the event has been held without major incidents and credited local partners for support.

The council did not take a separate roll‑call vote recorded in the transcript for the proclamation beyond the presentation; the item was delivered as a ceremonial proclamation during the meeting's presentation segment.

While the proclamation itself is ceremonial, councilmembers and speakers framed it as part of broader local efforts to create visible, welcoming spaces and to signal community support for residents’ mental health and safety.