California governor signs law recognizing June as Pride Month
California is one of the first states to legally recognize June as Pride Month
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a law recognizing June as Pride Month in the state.
Assembly Bill 2969 officially recognizes June as the month to celebrate LGBTQ culture and community. It was authored by out Assemblymember and chair of the California LGBT caucus Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley).
“California has the largest LGBT population of any state in the union, and the state is home to over forty LGBT Pride celebrations each year,” said Assemblymember Low in a press release. “I want to thank Governor Brown for adding Pride to the list of celebrations codified in statute.”
The bill was coauthored by each member of California’s Legislative LGBT caucus and was supported by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Equality California.
“In big cities and small towns, in every corner of our state, Pride is a time for Californians to come together and celebrate our progress — while continuing the fight for full equality,” said Equality California executive director Rick Zbur to The Advocate. “In the face of a president who refuses to recognize Pride Month, we’re deeply grateful to Governor Brown, Assembly Member Low, and the entire LGBT Caucus for recognizing the LGBTQ community’s role in California and California’s role in the LGBTQ civil rights movement.”
While many governors release statements recognizing Pride Month in June, California is apparently the first state to codify Pride Month in law.
Conversely, at the federal level, Donald Trump has yet to recognize June as Pride Month, in contrast to former President Barack Obama who recognized Pride Month throughout his time in office.
This bill comes roughly a month after a California vice mayor published an article declaring July as “Straight Pride American Month” and calling “LGBTQF-WTF” people “different” from straight people.
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