Commentary: LGBTQ people simply wanted Kingsburg leaders to support them with Pride Month

Editor’s note: These are remarks Kingsburg resident Stetler Brown made to the City Council at its Wednesday night meeting. The council voted down a proposal to recognize the month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the city.

“Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Members of the council and Mayor North:

Thank you for being here today as Councilmember (Jewel) Hurtado’s resolution is available for comment.

I am here today for those who cannot speak for themselves, who are afraid, isolated and fearful of backlash should they stand for themselves. I am here because I am a teacher, who teaches public speaking, and I have told hundreds of students in my short teaching career that they can make a difference in the community, and that they should. I am here for me, because my own journey and experience is filled with depression, isolation, and rejection. Punting in this opportunity when it comes to my own town and community is not an option, and I cannot let this time pass by.

Pride Month means a lot to folks like me in the queer community. I never had the opportunity to live in a city that celebrated our history until graduate school. Prior to that, I felt isolated, alone, and scared of what might happen if people in my community knew. I see this as an opportunity to confront homophobia as a city.

Homophobia is a disease. Rejection of queer people happens on a daily basis. Everytime I walk down downstairs to Draper Street with my partner, I look around to make sure nobody is around before holding hands to go on a walk. I use gender neutral pronouns, avoid saying “we”, even this last Mother’s Day with my family.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, homophobia can lead to being eight times more likely to commit suicide, and six times more likely to experience depression. The effects of homophobia can be felt across the community. It comes out in our schools, where rejection by our straight peers can lead to dropping grades, apathy, and even drug and substance abuse.

I am not asking the city to fix the entire problem of homophobia with passing this resolution, but I am asking them to show a sign of support to our LGBTQ population, especially our youth, who are looking for someone to acknowledge who they are, and show support for their hopes and dreams, because we have those, too.

Council members, I ask that you pass this resolution for the youth of Kingsburg, the current residents that are our teachers, our retail employees, our farmers, our agricultural workers, and for people like myself, a gay resident of Kingsburg. Kingsburg has an opportunity to confront this disease. To be clear, this is not a complete cure, but this is just the start of a long treatment plan, and it starts with our elected leaders.

If you’re in the audience today or watching this meeting, and you’re closeted, I want you to know that you are loved, supported, and not alone.