Moore, Tania
From: Jorge Reyes Salinas <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 1:45 PM
To: [email protected]; CITY COUNCIL
Subject: Letter Opposing Huntington Beach Flag Ordinance for Today's 6PM Meeting Attachments: Letter Opposing Huntington Beach Flag Ordinance.pdf Hello,
Please see the attached letter from Equality California opposing Ordinance No. 4283.
Please print for Council.
Best,
Jorge Reyes Salinas | Communications Director
Equality California | Equality California Institute | Silver State Equality www.eqca.org | www.silverstateequality.org
@eqca | @silverstateeg | @Jreyesalinas
:: Pronouns: He/Him/His
Cell: (818) 307-7387
:Email: [email protected]
SUPPLEMENTAL
CONMUNICATION
Meeting Date.... 3/7/2023
Agenda tam Na: 12/23-192).
1 FOR
EQUALITY
CALIFORNIA
March 7, 2023
Huntington Beach City Council
Council Chambers
2000 Main Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
RE: Ordinance No. 4283 Adding Chapter 13.07 of the Huntington Beach Municipal Code Relating to Government Flags on City Property - OPPOSE
Dear Huntington Beach City Council,
Equality California writes in opposition of the proposed Huntington Beach Municipal Code Relating to Government Flags on City Property.
In 2021, LGBTQ+ people saw a unanimous vote of all seven Huntington Beach City Councilmembers to fly the Pride Flag at City Hall and at Pier-LGBTQ+ people in Surf City felt welcome and supported.
And even though members of the public-probably the same ones here today-vowed to "burn the flag down," and said that the world was "built for straight people"— the LGBTQ+ community still felt valued and validated because of the precedent of acceptance and support this council set.
Now imagine how they felt, when members of this Council voted to reverse that precedent, to take down the flag — to send a message that we aren't welcome in Surf City.
We understand that the Pride flag is not representative of the entire community in Huntington Beach, but we also know and understand what a united community is. A healthy united community uplifts those members who are most in need - and the LGBTQ+ community is currently in need.
Already this year, a record number of bills across the country have been introduced in state legislatures to eliminate critical protections for LGBTQ+ people, separate LGBTQ+ children from their families and even criminalize our very existence.
None of this happens in a vacuum. LGBTQ+ Californians, our neighbors, our youth and their peers all see coverage of these attacks. And the result? There was an 83 percent increase of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in Orange County reported just last year:
Not only does each discriminatory bill or ordinance harm the LGBTQ+ people that it directly impacts, but it also sends a broader message that LGBTQ+ people don't have the right to exist or thrive in the ways that non-LGBTQ+ folks do.
Undoubtedly, having any part of your identity devalued, invalidated, or just plain not celebrated can contribute to issues with your mental health.
LGBTQ+ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.
Just last year, 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide and 14% of them attempted it.
Data shows that LGBTQ+ youth who live in a community that is accepting of LGBTQ+ people reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide than those who do not.
The Pride flag is a nearly sixty-year-old form of visibility, of knowing where you are welcome—it is an easy way of knowing where you have some allies. It welcomes LGBTQ+ neighbors to freely be themselves and rebukes hatred festering in communities.
The impact of your vote today does more than eliminate a symbol of inclusion; it sends a message to the world that Surf City-an iconic city that has welcomed millions of visitors from around the world every year for decades-is no longer open to all.
Equality California does not believe that is what you envision for Huntington Beach or what you want to define your legacy in City Hall. People throughout the City and across the Country are watching to see what you choose Eleven former members of this Council recently published an op-ed in the Daily Pilot-and thousands of Surf City residents have spoken out-urging you to reject this misguided and dangerous ordinance.
For these reasons, we strongly oppose this ordinance. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our organization's Political Director at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Tony Hoang
Executive Director
Equality California