In historic vote, Downey City Council votes to fly pride flag
DOWNEY – The LGBTQ pride flag will fly over City Hall for the remainder of the month.
As national Pride month wraps up over the next week, there has been an increased call by many of the LGTBQ community and its allies for the city to raise the symbolic rainbow flag at City Hall as a sign of solidarity.
They officially got their wish in the early morning hours Wednesday, as the Council voted 4-1 in support of the gesture.
Councilman Sean Ashton said that he had “no skin in the game,” but added that sometimes “we focus on certain things to show you matter.”
“No matter what it is, you matter. Everybody matters, we know that, but you matter at this point in time. That doesn’t mean that anybody else matters less; it just means you matter and sometimes it’s good to acknowledge that.”
“It doesn’t mean that you have to say that you agree with everything that they believe in, but if we can’t come back just to say ‘you matter,’ then it just really kind of brings us back to times where we would take things away because you were different.”
There was considerable pushback from the faith-based community, many of which spoke at Tuesday’s meeting to voice concerns that the raising of the pride flag would be divisive and not representative of the city as a whole.
These claims drew sharp criticism from Council members Mario Trujillo and Catherine Alvarez, both of whom are part of the LGTBQ community.
Alvarez said that she “felt sad about how churches were thinking about her right now.”
“It’s unfortunate to say that churches in Downey have closed their doors to me because I’m disabled, because I got into politics, and because I’m LGBT as well,” said Alvarez. “Everything divides, and it’s unfortunate that one person who is sitting down right here in front of us has told me that no church will open it’s door to me, and has bullied me several times.”
“It’s not fair that people that say it’s Christian have this things in mind (sic)…We are all the same human for God; we are all the same no matter how.”
“I saw so much division today here just because I’m sitting down… We have 53 churches right here in Downey; I never thought we had so many. I feel bad that no church is willing to open the door for me because I’m an LGTB person. That is not love, not at all.”
Trujillo said that he was “surprised that the faith community would come out so strongly against a symbol of hope.”
“I’m surprised that the faith community that is supposed to carry a message of love and about loving our neighbors, would see this as a divisive issue,” said Trujillo. “But I’m not surprised, because as a Catholic, I struggled with my faith because the Catholic church treats me and my husband like second class citizens, like we’re not worthy enough to get married in their church, and that goes for most of your churches.”
“I respect your freedom of religion, and you’re welcome in Downey…This country is not perfect, but it promises equality and justice for all, but you and I and everybody in the faith-based community should come to accept that this country – when it comes to the LGTBQ community – has not necessarily been fair; it’s treated homosexuals as second-class citizens. It’s still the country I love, and even though I could easily move somewhere else, I choose not to even though it hasn’t treated members of my community fairly and equally, because it’s the country I love. It’s not perfect, but it gives me hope, there is hope.”
“I hope that our Downey youth who are born gay will feel loved, accepted, validated, and encouraged to dream the American dream just like any other kid born, or who lives in Downey.”
Mayor Claudia M. Frometa – the sole vote in opposition – warned that the city needed to “be ready for any other symbol and any other flag that may come through the city.”
“The more we continue to place labels on ourselves and to look at different flags, the more we continue to create subgroups. It doesn’t create unity; it creates ‘I believe in this, you believe in that, and you believe in that.’”
“I believe we are an inclusive community…My hope as mayor of this city is that regardless of what additional flags we fly outside of our city hall, that we remember we are one community, regardless of where we stand on any issue.”
The Pride Flag will fly over City Hall for the remainder of the month. There has been some consideration to flying it over other city buildings for future pride months.