Councilmember pushes to recognize Pride Month in this Valley town. Fresno GOP pushes back
A Kingsburg councilmember is hoping to get the city to recognize Pride Month for its first ever time, and may be up for a political fight in the small town.
Councilmember Jewel Hurtado is set to ask the City Council on Wednesday night to approve her request to recognize LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which is typically commemorated in June in many cities.
“I’ve sometimes failed to acknowledge the history and the barriers we’ve overcome,” Hurtado, who identifies as bisexual, said on Wednesday. “(It’s) a small way we can hopefully make a positive impact.”
She said Kingsburg is a small town at about 12,000 people, and she looked to have the debate within the community. But, representatives of the Fresno County GOP sent out an email blast to recruit people to speak out against Pride Month.
“I feel like I’m on the right side of history,” Hurtado said. “I want to paint a very clear picture that I organized within Kingsburg. I didn’t want this to happen.”
The debate over Pride Month sets up a battle between conservatives who stress their traditional values and their liberal counterparts who say the resistance is hateful.
The email blast was a response to concerns from local conservatives, according to Fred Vanderhoof, chairman of the Fresno County Republican Party.
“Kingsburg is one of the most conservative little cities in the Valley,” he said. “We’re concerned that we’re seeing the left-wing organizations come into the Valley. We want to communicate our traditional values as much as we can.”
Many cities in the central San Joaquin Valley recognize Pride Month, including larger areas like Fresno and mid-size cities like Merced. The Selma City Council voted March 1 to recognize Pride Month there this year for the first time.
Kingsburg City Council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1401 Draper St., Kingsburg. The building is operating at 50% capacity because of pandemic regulations.
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 4:32 PM.
