The Temecula Valley will have its first space dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community that will host weekly gatherings and offer STI testing and gender affirming services, among other options. The Temecula Valley Pride Center will have its grand opening Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s located at the United Church of the Valley in Murrieta. Photo: iStock
Rachel Cagwin Dennis’ column focuses on issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community in the Inland Empire.
The Temecula Valley will have its first space dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community that will host weekly gatherings and offer STI testing and gender affirming services, among other options.
The Temecula Valley Pride Center will have its grand opening Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s located at the United Church of the Valley in Murrieta.
Temecula Valley Pride Center
Justin Daley, community outreach director for Temecula Valley Pride, said the community asked for a safe and supportive LGBTQ+ space.
“Temecula Valley Pride has always aimed to deliver for the LGBTQ community and has responded to the demand. The community has never had this type of space. We could grow into something bigger based on the need,” he said.
“Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in hate-speech and misinformation being spread about the LGBTQ community locally. This has caused the community to feel unwelcome and has expedited the need for Temecula Valley Pride to kick-off the area’s first Pride Center,” Daley said.
The Temecula Valley Pride Center’s events will be calendared on the site’s web site and social media platforms, Daley said.
The group also has plans for a July Pride event that will be announced soon, Daley said.
Temecula Valley Pride announced the Center opening last month on its Instagram page.
Murrieta Valley defies state order to rescind district’s outing policy
Temecula Valley Pride
The nonprofit Temecula Valley Pride, which is run by six volunteers, was founded by Jamie Flores, executive director and board president, in November 2017 due to a growing need for LGBTQ+ community events in the valley.
Before COVID-19,Temecula Valley Pride hosted a yearly Pride event. The last one was hosted at Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium, also referred to as Storm Stadium, and was the largest Pride event in southwestern Riverside County with several thousand people in attendance, Daley said.
Temecula Valley Pride also has hosted a variety of other social events for the LGBTQ+ community.
Christian nationalists on school boards
Traditionally known for being a very conservative area, the political demographics of the Temecula Valley area are quickly changing to less conservative.
In 2022, however, the area saw two moderate, non-partisan school boards, Temecula Valley and Murrieta Valley, overturned to extreme-right Christian majorities with the help of extremist Pastor Tim Thompson of 412 Church Temecula and the formation of Inland Empire Family PAC, where he is the principal officer.
Tim Thompson
Thompson is outwardly homophobic and transphobic and known to march into schools calling teachers “groomers” and demanding they be fired.
School board candidates propped up by the Inland Empire Family PAC have run door-to-door campaigns spreading lies about pornography in schools, “perverted sexual training,” “grooming” children to be LGBTQ, and Critical Race Theory being taught in local schools.
Joseph Komrosky
Murrieta Valley and Temecula Valley school boards have approved forced outing policies, under the guise of “parental notification,”and Temecula Valley Unified school board President, Joseph Komrosky, caught the attention of the Gov. Gavin Newsom when he called Harvey Milk a “pedophile” from the dias and refused to use state-approved materials.
The state sent the board of education notice that the district would be fined for refusing to use the materials, and then the school board did a rapid about face and decided to use them.
Recall election
In a sign of frustration at the school board, Temecula residents obtained enough signatures to remove Komrosky from his school board position. A special recall election will take place June 4.
Mail-in ballots have been sent to voters.
Voters in the Temecula Valley Unifiied School District’s Trustee Area 4 are asked a single yes-or-no question: “Shall Joseph Wayne Komrosky be recalled (removed) from the office of Governing Board Member, Temecula Valley Unified School District, Trustee Area 4?”
Voters must complete their ballots and get them to the Registrar of Voters office or local vote centers no later than 8 p.m.
Ballots can also be placed in official blue vote-by-mail drop-off boxes located in Trustee Area 4.
For ballot drop-box and vote center locations, including hours of operation, visit the registrar’s website.
Ballots also can be mailed with a postmark no later than June 4 and received no later than June 11.
