The efforts by Garcia, Hurtado and others have impressed Chicano veterans of the region’s past bare-knuckle political fights. “There’s a quote by Cesar that I keep telling myself: ‘The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. “What Alex and I tried to do isn’t just about a flag,” the 22-year-old said. When that failed, she helped to organize a Pride festival attended by hundreds - the city’s first. Kingsburg City Council Member Jewel Hurtado, who identifies as bisexual, also pushed for her city to fly the pride flag. “But having politicians stand and vote in solidarity validates the asks of groups and makes it easier for progress to happen.” “Having a movement alone is amazing and inspires the community to mobilize,” 23-year-old Delano resident Marivel Servin said. Garcia lost his battle, but he and his fellow pro-LGBTQ advocates just might win the proverbial war to transform the Central Valley from a redoubt of red into something bluer. “I was like, ‘Oh, you’re out? How come I didn’t know?’” “I knew we had LGBT residents in Wasco, but I didn’t realize how many!” he said.
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Garcia received a torrent of texts and emails applauding his lonely stance. Former residents from as far away as Sacramento drove in to show support. Two days after the council vote, about 50 supporters staged a Pride rally in front of City Hall. People were more distracted by a vote over a flag than that.” Like having to deal with a new contract with the sheriff’s department that’s going up by a million dollars. But there were other matters to deal with that night. “I knew I had to remain steady and stoic,” Garcia said, tapping the table with his index finger for emphasis. None of them returned a request for comment. The push came from grass-roots activists but also young, progressive Latino council members forged in the fights for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns.
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There were Pride Month celebrations in rural towns like Tehachapi, at community colleges and even in the Forty Acres National Historic Landmark, the former headquarters of the United Farm Workers. The mayor hoped to ride a wave of LGBTQ activism this past month that had splashed across the famously conservative Central Valley and sent its political class buzzing.įresno flew the pride flag for the first time, as did Delano and Selma.
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The previous week, he had proposed during a City Council meeting held over Zoom that the self-proclaimed Rose Capital of the World fly the pride flag at City Hall. But the bauble banner also represented a recent defeat Garcia doesn’t want to forget. June is Pride Month, of course, and Garcia is the first-ever openly LGBTQ elected official in the history of Kern County. JAn earlier version of this article said Andres Chavez is 37.