Sponsored by Alhambra Teachers’ Association, City of Monterey Park, and the Boys and Girls Club (Photo – San Gabriel Valley Pride & Festival)
Each June, the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, Queer or Questioning + other forms of self-identification) community gathers among friends and allies to celebrate life, love, opportunity and health. Pride parades and festivals started over 50 years ago; they continue today as a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and a call for love and mutual support.
By Ari Gutierrez Arambula
The T. Administration has moved to ban Transgender individuals from the military; this could number over 6,000 active-duty personnel. While the final legal ruling is pending, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the ban to be implemented during the legal process. In addition to our military losing thousands of committed, skilled, and contributing members, the lives of these individuals will be disrupted without cause.
The County of Los Angeles, anticipating funding cuts for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, has moved to cancel current contracts with local providers, including the L.A. LGBT Center. Los Angeles, especially communities of color, is the most impacted by HIV/AIDS. Defunding prevention and treatment programs and services will disrupt community-based efforts to keep affected individuals in treatment and to prevent new infections.
The push for deportation of immigrants has affected individuals who are not criminals and are not affiliated with gangs, which has been cited as the basis for the legal authority to deport without due process. Among those deported are individuals like Andry Hernandez Romero, a Venezuelan gay makeup artist and asylum seeker who was swept up in the T. Administration’s show of force and is now detained in the supermax prison in El Salvador.
Although T. Administration policy changes were anticipated, the cuts are cruel. We must work to lift those who need extra help and support each other in overcoming and reversing the adverse effects of federal policies.
In the last month, we lost Pope Francis, an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, a beacon of hope, humility, and an advocate of love and acceptance. LGBTQ+ people and our families of Catholic faith pray the new Pope will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis.
The Alhambra & Monterey Park Pride Parade and Festival will be held on June 7, 2025, stepping off at 9 am from Mark Keppel High School and marching towards the festival at Barnes Park, 350 S. McPherrin Ave, Monterey Park, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. There will be music, resources, arts, giveaways, and more!
Altadena Pride kicks off pride season on Saturday, June 14. It’s Pride Season, a time to gather, love, celebrate, and resist! Start by looking for, participating in, and supporting pride events in your community.
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