Rainbow flags raised in the sky, love, and pride return to Stockton this June for Pride Month.
The Stockton Pride Family Day, hosted by Stockton Pride Inc., will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, at the MLK Plaza at 2 E. Oak St. in Stockton.
"It's billed as an LGBTQ Pride event but just like our organization, we focus on the LGBTQ community. But we service everyone," Cymone Reyes, executive director for Stockton Pride Inc. and founder of Central Valley Gender Health & Wellness, told The Record on Monday. "We invite everyone to join us for a day filled of fun, family and honestly, camaraderie. Come with an open mind and an open heart. Because at the end of the day, we are just all one race, right? The human race trying to survive in this place we call Earth."
Reyes said they expect around 1,500 people to attend this year's event.
The Stockton native said this is the first time that Stockton Pride returns after a hiatus due to COVID-19 except for a "very small" event in 2022 at the Stockton Ballroom.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"It's open to everyone. It's a family event," Reyes said.
There will be about 45 local vendors, from nonprofits to food vendors, drag shows with a Spanish show for the Latinx community, and with event headliner CALFAMOUS.
While the event is free, a $5 donation is suggested, Reyes said.
Donations will benefit Stockton Pride Inc. to help fund next year's event. Any other funds available will be dispersed to local nonprofits or agencies in need of financial assistance, she said.
In 2022, Stockton Pride Inc. broke away from the San Joaquin Pride Center and applied for 501 (C) (3) status, Reyes said. The organization is no longer fiscally sponsored by the San Joaquin Pride Center.
Pride Flag raisings in city and county
The Progressive Pride Flag will be raised at Stockton's City Hall at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25. The flag will fly from June 25 to July 1.
This will be the sixth year that the progressive Pride flag will be raised at city hall, Reyes said.
The flag raising comes after a 6-to-1 vote at the May 14 Stockton City Council meeting.
Mayor Kevin Lincoln who is running as a Republican in the general election for Congress in California's 9th Congressional District, cast the lone dissenting vote, The Record reported in late May.
Councilwoman Michele Padilla of District 1 and Councilman Michael Blower of District 3 bothvoted against raising the flaglast year. However this year they voted 'yes.'
District 4 Councilwoman Susan Lenz said raising the Pride flag shouldn't have to be voted on by the city council every year. She was also in support of reworking the policy to allow the flag to be raised each June without a vote required.
Blower, chair of the legislation committee, said the committee would expedite the process of reviewing the flag display policy.
"The third year we raised it, I was at a grocery store and this little boy ... just came up to me. He goes, 'oh, you're the lady that raised this flag downtown ... I know that my city cares for me,'" Reyes said. "We don't raise the flag to announce our sexuality. We raise it so that families across the city know that they're safe."
On Friday, June 28, at 7 a.m. a commemorative Pride flag will also be raised at the government building at 44. N. San Joaquin St. in downtown Stockton for a day.
This is following a 4-1 vote in June's first Regular board meeting.
District 4 Supervisor Steve Ding cast the lone vote against raising the Pride flag, The Record previously reported.
This is a year after the San Joaquin Board of Supervisorsquashed a motionto fly a commemorative Pride flag in front ofthe county administration building.
This is the second time the flag will be raised at the county, Reyes said.
"These ceremonies will symbolize Stockton's ongoing commitment to inclusivity and respect, providing a poignant moment of unity and support for the LGBTQ+ community," Reyes said via email.
According to Reyes, the first year they went to the city council they were there to start a conversation and were "expecting pushback and resistance" from the governing board. They were not expecting it to pass.
"We as individuals are like everyone else, we just want to live our lives with the same exact liberties that everyone else has. Pride month came out of a necessity because we were being targeted by law enforcement and harassed specifically just for existing," Reyes said. "We've come a long way since then but we still have a long way to go. It's important not only for us as community members to show up at these events, but it's also important for just community members that are allies that support us that encourage our movement to come out and enjoy this day because we are greater in numbers."
For more information visit stocktonpride.org.
Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record contributed to this report.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached atarocha@recordnet.comor on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record athttps://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
