Dear Readers,
Y’all. We made it to summer. I don’t know about you, but I need to take a pause and thank my higher power that we’ve hit that sweet spot of the year where the weather is getting nicer, produce is getting tastier and school is finally out for eight glorious weeks.
I know confessing that I’ve always loved summer is no sort of big revelation. I mean, who doesn’t love summer? It’s that time of year when you get to stay up late and hang out with friends on the weekdays. Cool-vibe music is always playing somewhere outside and popsicles are aplenty. If you’re lucky, you’re spending the day splashing in water — doesn’t matter if it’s the swimming pool or the river. There are hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob. There are super soakers and tan lines and basic joy.
I think that’s the baseline of summer: basic joy. We’ve spent the last five months (especially the first three of this year) bogged down by so much rain and gray clouds, that it’s been easy to get trapped into Eeyore-ish thinking where we doubt it’s a good morning and knew the sky would be falling.
But a little bit of sunshine and warmth turns that pessimism right around and reminds us there’s a little light in the world.
I’ve been lucky enough to see this light while putting the June edition together. This June edition is the third Pride paper we’ve created here since I’ve taken over as publisher. Over the past month, I’ve met with organizers of three of our local Pride festivals — Chris Kren-Mora (Sonoma County Pride), Spence Blank (Windsor Pride) and Adrian Lewis-Chang (Occidental Pride). These three individuals (all volunteers, BTW), have worked tirelessly to bring Sonoma County together and advocate on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community.
They don’t have easy roles. Today’s culture is more rampant than ever with individuals, including politicians, who are hell-bent on canceling and eradicating LGBTQIA+ rights. The attack is particularly poignant on our transgender community. One-third of the states in our nation have banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Drag shows are under fire, too with 21 states attempting to ban or grossly misinterpret drag in their laws.
Talk about pessimistic gray Eeyore clouds.
“Greater society wants us to conform to their black and white footprint,” Kren-Mora said. “But nobody is the same. Someday my hope is that we’ll live in a future where we focus on saving the planet instead of focusing on who is having sex with who.”
That’s some sunshine for ya, and that’s why Sonoma County Pride exists. The organization isn’t here just to party. Last year, the nonprofit raised so much money that after June’s Pride festivities, they donated their leftovers to other local nonprofits that provide services to Sonoma County LGBTQIA+ community members. Organizations like the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, Petaluma Pride and Petaluma People’s Services all received some of Sonoma County Pride’s sunshine.
The hope is that the more inclusive Pride can be, the better it is for the community at large. That’s the driver behind Windsor’s Pride Festival, aptly named Love Wins in Windsor.
“If you just ask us, you’ll see we aren’t just swinging banana hammocks,” Blank said. “It will actually start a conversation and you will have a bigger heart and safer community for it.”
And who doesn’t want a safer community? I think that’s why most of us who live in Sonoma County choose to live here. It’s safe and comfortable. We are surrounded by majestic trees, rolling hills and more types of flowers than I knew existed. We have oceans and rivers, vineyards and valleys. We are lucky, damn’t to be here and owe it to each other to honor one another by fostering a safe community.
It takes a little bravery sometimes, and that’s OK. If you need some encouragement, I offer the words of the immortal Lady Gaga: “It doesn’t matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M…
No matter gay, straight, or bi’, lesbian, transgender life/I’m on the right track baby, I was born to survive/no matter Black, white or beige, chola, or Orient’ made/I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to be brave.”
Be brave and let the sunshine in. You might find that basic joy feels better than a blanket of Eeyore clouds.
Happy Pride Month y’all.
*This column was published in print in the June edition with a couple of typos. The writer regrets the errors.
