‘It’s a message of love.’ Merced leaders approve flying LGBTQ+ flag in Bob Hart Square
With a simple but poignant gesture this week, the Merced City Council unanimously elected to send a message of solidarity and support to one of its most vulnerable communities, advocates say.
The Pride Progress flag will fly in Bob Hart Square in recognition of Merced’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community members this June during national Pride Month.
“Hanging this flag in the heart of downtown Merced for the entirety of Pride Month would bring visibility and dignity to some of Merced’s most stigmatized and disenfranchised citizens,” said Adam Lane, president of the Merced LGBTQ+ Alliance.
The Pride Progress flag features traditional LGBTQ+ rainbow colors along with a forward-facing arrow made of transgender Pride colors of blue, pink and white as well as black and brown stripes to represent people of color.
The modified Pride flag is intended to better represent marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community and advocate toward progress and inclusion.
Several Merced residents spoke passionately during the meeting or called in to rally City Council in support of flying the flag.
“I do want to commend each of you that have come tonight and have spoken,” said Councilmember Delray Shelton. “It does take a lot to take a stance on something.”
Many speakers shared personal stories about the fear of expressing their sexual orientation or gender identity in public.
The Pride Progress Flag would serve as a beacon of hope and acceptance for Merced’s LGBTQ+ residents, they said. It would be especially meaningful for individuals who are not openly, “out of the proverbial closet,” Lane said.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health issue, Lane noted. For transgender individuals, the risk increases by four times compared to cisgender individuals whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex. During the pandemic, many already isolated LGBTQ+ individuals have become more alienated, Lane said.
“I can speak firsthand as someone who is LGBTQ+ how hard it is sometimes to just exist, and how much the flag would mean to the community,” said Merced resident Gabriela Spiva at the meeting.
When the motion passed unanimously, minus two absent council members, the chambers erupted into applause.
“I’m proud to support this, I think it’s a no-brainer,” said Mayor Matt Serratto.
However, Pride flags have encountered hurdles in Merced before.
Merced’s LGBT Community Center in 2014 was asked to remove its flag by the building’s owner. The center’s staff said that they informed the property’s owners during the rental process that they wanted to use the flagpole, but were later told that only the American and California flags could be flown at the site.
Other messages intended as symbols of solidarity have also been shot down by the Council before on account of being too politically charged for the city.
A proposed Black Lives Matter street mural was rejected after a barrage of resident calls opposed the project. Conversely, the Pride Progress Flag did not receive any public pushback prior to the Council’s unanimous vote.
The hoisting of the Pride flag in June opens the door for other banners to officially fly in Bob Hart Square, too. Come July, City Council will consider a draft flag policy establishing rules for groups that want to see their colors raised.
“I think by the council stepping forward and putting this flag up . . . you’re just saying ‘It’s okay to be who you are, you’re valid, you’re accepted, you’re okay. It’s a message of love,” Spiva said.
This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 6:13 PM.
