Vallejo Pride flag flies again in annual ceremony
With its rainbow colors fluttering in the breeze, the Pride Flag glided up the flagpole outside Vallejo City Hall on Monday to cheers and applause.
"It's been 13 years of raising the Pride flag here," said Thomas Bilbo, Vallejo Gay Network coordinator for the city's annual ceremony. "It was a challenge to make it happen in 2013, but it has not been ever since," he added.
"We are all part of this community and the LGBTQ+ community. We are thankful for our allies," Bilbo said to applause from the gathering of people that took up much of the plaza outside City Hall.
Mayor Andrea Sorce said, "I am proud to be part of a city that is so welcoming and inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community." Sorce, along with Councilmember Peter Bregenzer, who is gay, helped Bilbo raise the flag.
"When I go to Vallejo Gay Network events, I see people from all over the Bay Area at the Pride events, the meetups and the potlucks. It speaks to the strength of the LGBTQ+ community," Sorce said.
Harry Black, Vallejo's new interim city manager, told the crowd, "This is the one thing AI will not be able to duplicate: Our diversity, our uniqueness. It has gotten us as far as we have as a species.
"You will always have our support," Black told the dozens of people on hand for the event.
To her surprise, Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James was then announced as the next speaker.
"You guys always voluntell me," she said with a smile, to laughter from the crowd. "I am standing here in solidarity with you all," she said, noting that the day before she had participated in a Solano Pride event.
"Happy Pride to you all!" James said.
The final speaker, Stephan Clifford, chair of the Solano Pride board, said it's important "now more than ever" to be at these events.
"It's important to fight the oppression and stand up for joy," Clifford said. "Thank you to everyone who is being their authentic self. As long as we stand together, we are going to get through this."
Earlier, the mayor had mentioned the proclamation read at the council's May 26 meeting recognizing June as LGBTQ+ Month.
The proclamation read in part, "Whereas the current federal administration has attempted to deprive trans people of their civil rights and health resources ...
... it has discharged trans people from the military despite decades of service; and many trans and gender diverse people have fled from their state of residence ... now more than ever it is imperative for the LGBTQ+ community to work with our allies to protect those of our community who are being targeted by those who seek to destroy not only our community but the very fabric of our democracy."
The proclamation noted that 2026 is the 28th year of the Solano County and Vallejo LGBTQ+ Community coming together through organizations such as Vallejo Gay Network, Solano Pride Center, Solano Serenity Center, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, and Solano AIDS Coalition.
City of Vallejo staffers facilitated the raising of the flag, while audio for Monday's event was handled by Bryan Tradup of Vallejo, head tech at Vallejo Gay Network apprentice.
Though Pride Month officially begins in June, celebrations, proclamations, and events commemorating LGBTQ+ pride have been taking place in Solano County and the Bay Area since May.
Upcoming Solano County Pride events include a June 7 Bambino's Drag Brunch event at the downtown restaurant; a Vallejo Gay Network picnic potluck at Alden Park on Mare Island on June 14; and a June 25 Community Pride Pizza Night in Vallejo.
Bilbo said, "With this flag-raising, Vallejo is letting the world know that it is a place of freedom, diversity, and acceptance. The Vallejo Gay Network is proud to organize Pride events in Vallejo, including the Pride Proclamation, Pride flag raising, and our 28th annual Pride Picnic on Mare Island."
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