9 minute read
Happy Pride! And Happy Fourth of July
A NOTE FROM TONI
Toni G. Atkins
—Toni G. Atkins represents the 39th District in the California Senate. Follow her on Twitter @SenToniAtkins.
Happy July! Once again, we are about to join family, friends and neighbors to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation. While the ideals of liberty and equality sparked in Philadelphia 246 years ago still haven’t translated into day-to-day reality for many Americans, and at a time when some of our most basic rights and democratic institutions are under attack, there is still so much to celebrate and honor in the Fourth of July and the blueprint of the American Dream. I hope you have a fun, safe, and meaningful holiday!
Fun, safe and meaningful is also a pretty good description of San Diego Pride! And, after not being able to be together in person the last couple years, this year’s celebration should be one to remember! There have been some issues with bigots threatening Pride celebrations in 2022, so, once again, it is unfortunate but important for us to remember to be vigilant and watch out for each other. This is our time to shine (and sparkle), and I hope to see everybody safely out and about this year!
The start of July also brings big news from the Capitol: June 30th was the deadline to pass SCA 10, the legislation I wrote to enshrine the right to abortion in California’s Constitution and ensure that those vital health care decisions will still be made privately by women and their healthcare providers, without interference from outside forces. Now that SCA 10 has passed both the Senate and the Assembly, it heads to the voters in November. Additionally, SB 1375, my bill to expand access to reproductive health care by allowing trained and qualified nurse practitioners to perform first trimester abortions without the direct supervision of a physician, passed its first hearing in the Assembly and is continuing its path to the Governor’s desk.
July 1 also marks the beginning of the new fiscal year, when we start implementing the 2022-23 state budget. I’ve shared with you the historic investments and record reserves we included in the budget, which will put California’s wealth to work for families, businesses and students. I am particularly pleased that the Legislature and the Governor were able to combine our approaches and deliver real relief for Californians dealing with the high prices we and the rest of the world have been facing. That means $9.5 billion in direct tax refunds to 23 million California tax filers, with amounts ranging from $200 to $1,050 depending on income, filing status, and dependents. We also increased grants for SSI/ SSP and CalWORKs so those who need the most help aren’t left out of our relief efforts.
We were also able to put in the final budget the California Dream for All program, my proposal to help California’s first-time homebuyers with money they need for a down payment. In a recent Op-Ed, Donna DeBerry (CEO) and Bruce Mayberry (Board Chair) of the County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce and Carla Farley, owner of the Corban Realty Group and past president of the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors, highlighted that the program “has the potential to reduce some of the barriers to homeownership that have disproportionately prevented families of color from owning homes.” Financial independence is another great thing to celebrate, and the California Dream for All program will help many Californians meet that goal.
Happy Pride! And Happy Fourth of July! Here’s to pursuing our lives, liberty, and happiness as exactly who we truly are.
HAPPY PRIDE!
AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
(image by shutterstock.com)
LGBTQ San Diego County News
PO Box 34664 San Diego, CA 92163 858.886.9458
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COMVERSATIONS WITH NICOLE
Nicole Murray Ramirez
—Nicole Murray Ramirez has been writing a column since 1973. He has been a Latino/Gay activist for almost half a century and has advised and served the last seven mayors of San Diego. Named the ‘Honorary Mayor of Hillcrest’ by a city proclamation, he has received many media awards including from the prestigious San Diego Press Club. Reach Nicole at Nicolemrsd1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Nmrsd2.
Today as I looked upon the national LGBTQ Wall of Honor here at the historic Stonewall Inn holding the names of over 50 of our LGBTQ pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes, I again realized that many were my sisters and brothers that, for over a half a century, we had worked together in my life as a Latino and LGBTQ activist. I wondered what they would want me to say to you today as we have gathered here to remember and honor those whose shoulders we stand on.
I believe that they would want me to tell you that many of them and myself had survived the McCarthy Era of the 1950s and his homosexual witch hunts that we had survived the police raids and brutalities against us in the 1960s that we had survived the times that, with just a stroke of a pen and the signatures of either a judge or your parents, we were committed to state hospitals many subjected to electric shock treatment or lobotomies never to return the same. I think that they would want me to say that we survived the hate and homophobic crusades of Anita Bryant to, and I quote, “save our children”, that we survived John Briggs, Jerry Falwell and other homophobic leaders.
Indeed, we survived those early dark lonely years of AIDS when homophobic leaders wanted to tattoo us, segregate us, and even put us on a proposed island or camps.
But now at these times and days of our LGBTQA+ community the rise of hate crimes against us, hundreds of legislative bills in state houses against us, movements to erase our transgender sisters and brothers, these days and times where just last week the Texas State Republican Party convention added to their official platform that they declare and I quote: “homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle and a choice”, what would they want me to say to you in these times that the far-right extremists have targeted us, our Pride parades and events, our trans youth and children and their parents, our neighborhoods, our LGBTQ youth and even now drag queens! I can hear Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera whispering to me in that Whoopi Goldberg voice: “You in danger girl.”
Yes, we don’t need a Paul Revere telling us: “The Proud Boys are coming, the Proud Boys are coming” because they have always been here, but now they have come out from their dark sewers and into the light.
The truth is that the LGBTQ Community has always been in danger and under attack for we are the last civil rights movement of the 21st Century and the last Americans to have not been granted full equal rights.
But this national homophobic and hate campaign of the radical right is different for they have also targeted a women’s right to choose, Black Americans’ access and rights to vote, targeted and attacked our Jewish Community and their places of worship more than ever, they are standing up even stronger against gun control.
Yes, indeed something is very different in this current new ultra-Right war against us. They have made immigrants and asylum seekers, and Dreamers the new “boogie man” and in attacking our Asian Pacific Islander Community, they have awoken a sleeping giant.
My brothers and sisters of the LGBTAQ+ Community, a war has not only been declared on us, bout on People of Color, women, and the Jewish Community.
So, my message to you and the message from our heroes on this Wall of Honor is: We must unite and build bridges and stronger outreach to other communities, causes and issues. They must become our issues and causes.
Now more than ever, we must come out of the closets and into the voting booths come this November’s midterm elections.
And we must not only engage and be involved in the suites of political/government power, S-U-I-T-E-S, but be ready to go back into the streets S-T-R-E-E-T-S.
For always remember Stonewall was indeed a street riot!
In closing, our message today to you of the new ultra-radical radical Right as we stand on this sacred LGBTQA+ historic site. Our community is ready and just like we fought Anita Bryant and her oranges of hate we are ready to fight the campaigns of an orange-faced ex-president and his followers.
“Don’t Tread on Us” for we have only just begun to fight, and will, by any means necessary.
Thank you, Happy Pride and God Bless America.
Photos by Ruby Starling
The following is the Keynote Address given at the 2022 National LGBTQ Hall of Honor Ceremony on June 23, 2022, at the Stonewall Inn New York City by Founder/National Chair Human Rights Commissioner Nicole M. Ramirez Queen Mother I of the Americas, International Imperial Courts System U.S.A.-Canada-Mexico
