Members of Viet Rainbow of Orange County march in the Little Saigon Tết (Lunar New Year) Parade in Westminster on February 9. Photo: Thuan Nguyen
Editorial
On Tuesday, May 14th, the Garden Grove City Council opposed flying the rainbow flag, also known as the Gay Pride Flag, at City Hall for the month of June — Pride Month. Councilmember Kim Nguyen (District 6) had motioned to add flying the flag to the meeting agenda.
Garden Grove ignores LGBTQ people
Despite the overwhelming support of community members urging the council to fly the rainbow flag, the City Council had a 3 to 3 vote resulting in not adding the item to the agenda.
As the Viet Rainbow of Orange County (VROC), we express extreme disappointment in the council’s decision to stall such a simple matter.
We ask allies to come out and support friends, family, community members, future generations, us, and yourself. Let’s make sure we’re heard and seen by speaking up and showing up in rainbow colors at the city council meeting 6 p.m. tonight. We want our public comments to flood the meeting so that they cannot unsee our existence.
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Textile artists Leo Chiachio, Daniel Giannone create huge Pride Flag
Garden Grove is our home
As members of the Viet Rainbow of Orange County, we urge and expect the Garden Grove City Council to fly the rainbow flag during Pride Month.
Garden Grove is where we planted our seeds and grew as an organization. Garden Grove is the city where many of our members grew up and reside.
Fly the Gay Pride Flag
The flag is a simple gesture to show the city that LGBTQ+ people are seen and heard . Visibility is not the end-all-be-all, but it is a step toward recognizing the humanity of our beautiful, vibrant communities. It is a step that we believe will create ripple effects to uplift the lives of the many LGBTQ+ residents in Garden Grove.
Don’t ignore LGBTQ people
Neighboring cities in Orange County including Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Fullerton, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, and Santa Ana are all flying the rainbow flag at their respective city halls.
Should the Garden Grove City Council choose to disregard their constituents and erase LGBTQ+ people within our communities, then VROC and our LGBTQ+ siblings and allies will hold them accountable in future elections.
Don’t let Garden Grove City Council leave us unseen.
