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Residents fault council’s Pride Month proclamation as ‘performative’; speakers urge stronger support for youth services
Summary
Two public commentators criticized the city’s Pride Month proclamation as insufficient and urged the council to fund or partner with the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center and to engage youth in policy work; speakers asked for more than photo opportunities and suggested concrete outreach steps.
During the public‑comment period on Tuesday, two San Gabriel residents questioned the sincerity and follow‑through behind the city’s proclamation recognizing Pride Month and urged the council to take concrete actions to support LGBTQ residents and youth.
Vicky Godot, identified as a former commissioner and San Gabriel resident, criticized the council for what she called a “hypocritical” proclamation and said the item was added to the agenda only after another speaker reminded the council that June is Pride Month. Godot encouraged residents to attend regional Pride events and said the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center organizes a multi‑city “SGV Pride” tour and youth advocacy work.
Chastity Jennings Nunez told the council she had been present at previous meetings where council members pledged allyship and agreed to form a committee to bridge conversations with LGBTQ groups. She said she saw little progress beyond an invitation to the regional LGBTQ center to participate in local festivals and called for bolder action by elected officials. "Photo ops and empty gestures were never enough," she said.
Nunez made two concrete recommendations on the record: that councilmembers proactively connect LGBTQ youth to city resources and safe spaces and that the city consider in‑kind or grant support for the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center in light of what Nunez described as a threatened state funding shortfall. She also said a local SGV LGBTQ youth advocacy coalition is forming to press for policy and systems changes.
Council response and context: The mayor had read a proclamation earlier in the meeting declaring June a month of recognition for the LGBTQ community and invited councilmembers to join a photo; staff noted the full proclamation text is posted on the city website. Public commenters framed their remarks as a call for follow‑through: invitations to festivals and proclamations do not substitute, they said, for sustained outreach, youth support and funding.
Ending: Commenters asked the council to convert expressions of support into concrete steps — outreach to youth, partnership with the regional LGBTQ center and consideration of in‑kind or grant support — and said they would follow up with organizers working to build a local youth advocacy coalition.
