Valley city celebrates with LGBTQ+ community as Pride flag raised in public square
An emotional and symbolic ceremony took place Tuesday night in downtown Merced’s Bob Hart Square, as a large crowd watched the Progress Pride flag be officially raised with the support of city leaders.
The kickoff to Pride month included many tears, laughs, songs and hugs as stories were shared during a 90-minute ceremony.
“To some of us this feels nothing short of a miracle,” said Adam Lane, president of the LGBTQ+ Alliance in Merced. “At the same time it’s been a long time coming. … It is our hope that we can turn Merced into one great big safe space for all of the LGBTQ people in this community.”
The Merced City Council approved the flying of Pride Progress flag in Bob Hart Square in May. Merced Mayor Matt Serratto said he hasn’t received any negative feedback since the City Council made the decision.
“We’re an inclusive city,” Serratto said. “We love all our people, regardless of their background. It’s important that we be inclusive and that we send that message.”
“More important for our city is that we care about good people,” Serratto added. “If someone is a good person, we need them here. We want them on our side. We need to come together to make this city great.”
After the raising of the flag, many people took turns sharing their experiences. Some spoke of their struggles growing up as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
There were also proud moms of LGBTQ+ youth, and folks who previously felt they had to leave Merced and have now returned.
Plus, the crowd included school board members, teachers, local leaders and representatives offering their support.
There were also young people like Narayani Monroy, 13, of Merced, who told her story about coming out for the first time to her sister. She fought back tears as she talked about her family.
A moving a cappella version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was also sung during the ceremony.
Claudia Corchado spoke about the pride she has for her gay son. She urged some of the local school district members to step up and do more for kids who may be struggling as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“To me it’s about equity and really accepting people — not for who they are or what they choose — it’s because they’re people,” Corchado said. “For me, for the city of Merced to actually fly this flag is acceptance for everybody and that’s how it should have been a long time ago.”
A moment long in the making
Tuesday’s moment in Bob Hart Square comes after many years of LGBTQ+ activists in Merced County fighting for changes — one small victory at a time.
Merced’s LGBTQ+ movement started decades ago, with smaller groups like Merced PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) advocating for local rights.
Since then, the tide has slowly turned to the point that Pride events are now more commonplace, and Merced is considered a more welcoming place to the LGBTQ+ community.
The Pride Progress flag in Bob Hart Square features traditional LGBTQ+ rainbow colors along with a forward-facing arrow made of transgender Pride colors of blue, pink and white as well as black and brown stripes to represent people of color.
The modified Pride flag is intended to better represent marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community and advocate toward progress and inclusion.
Despite the victories the LGBTQ+ community has experienced locally, there remain challenges and hurdles to overcome.
For example, although cities like Selma, Fresno and Sacramento have also agreed to fly the Pride flag, others in the Valley have not backed the idea.
Just down south in the Fresno County city of Kingsburg, the City Council in May voted against flying the Progress Pride flag during June.
Kingsburg Councilmember Jewel Hurtado had asked the City Council to approve her request to recognize LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The other four city council members said while they support the LGBTQ+ community, they felt recognizing the month and flying the Progress Pride flag at City Hall was unacceptable.
Although Fresno’s City Council voted to fly the Pride flag, it caused a heated debate and it wasn’t a unanimous vote.
Pride flags have also caused debate before in Merced.
Merced’s LGBT Community Center in 2014 was asked to remove its flag by the building’s owner. The center’s staff said that they informed the property’s owners during the rental process that they wanted to use the flagpole, but were later told that only the American and California flags could be flown at the site.
Other messages intended as symbols of solidarity have also been shot down by the Merced City Council before on account of being too politically charged for the city.
A proposed Black Lives Matter street mural was rejected after a barrage of calls by residents opposed the project. Conversely, the Pride Progress Flag did not receive any public pushback prior to the City Council’s unanimous vote.
Still, to actually see the Progress Pride flag get raised was a significant milestone for young activists like Gabriella Spiva, co-chair of Pride 2021. “It was this moment of ‘We did it,’” Spiva said.
“Not only did we do it, but we have this beautiful community here to celebrate with us. There was a little tear in my eye. I looked away and did what I had to do. It’s just a beautiful thing that I want everybody to be able to look at.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Valley city celebrates with LGBTQ+ community as Pride flag raised in public square."
