San Mateo County raises pride flag

“Look at this beautiful flag I have,” Supervisor Noelia Corzo said, waving the intersex-inclusive progress pride flag, which adds on the iconic rainbow stripes with five chevron stripes on the left side to represent the Black, Indigenous, queer people of color and transgender individuals, and a purple circle on a yellow triangle to include those who are intersex. 

While Corzo kicked off the celebration with a few lighthearted comments — including shouting out to a gay man for teaching her how to blend her eyeshadow — she made sure to remind residents of their responsibility to keep the LGBTQIA+ community safe. 

“We may all be at different places in our journey of learning how to support and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, and I want you to know it’s OK,” Corzo said. “As long as you have a commitment to see people for who they are, and be an upstander when it comes to their safety and well-being, you are welcome here.” 

A Half Moon bay resident, Susan Takalo shared her experience as a lesbian living in the county.

“I came here because of a woman, but, over 30 years later, I am still with her and happy to be here in San Mateo County,” Takalo said. 

Acknowledging those before her, Takalo shared her ability to live proudly is in large part thanks to the queer civil rights activists of the 1970s and 1980s. Referencing the “critical time” we are currently living in, as the LGBTQIA+ community is under increased discrimination, Takalo gave a call to action. 

“Don’t be silent,” Takalo said. “Resist the taking away of hard-fought freedoms. Protect and expand what we value. Don’t go back.” 

Dana Johnson, a transgender nonbinary activist in the community, also recognized the ancestors who paved the way for the queer community. 

While June is nationally recognized as Pride Month, for Johnson and many others, Pride is “every single day.”

“I embrace Pride 365 days of the year, because living authentically and unapologetically is not confined to one month,” Johnson said. “Now, more than ever, it is essential we embrace and uplift the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

The support of allies is especially critical when homophobia and transphobia continues, Johnson said. 

Acknowledging that “the news has been grim,” speaker Toni Mirosevich shared the poem “The Take Away Bin” and gave a piece of advice to declutter. 

“That grim news gets in and it weighs you down, it takes up a lot of space, it’s very hard to move,” Mirosevich said. “Let’s think about what we’d like to get rid of.” 

There is no Pride Month without both celebration and protest, speakers shared, and balancing the two is critical. 

“There’s heaviness while we celebrate pride, progress, the safety and inclusion here,” Corzo said. “It’s OK to hold both. We have to balance it out with joy.” 

The San Mateo County Pride parade and celebration will be in San Mateo June 14. Visit smcpridecelebration.com for more information.