Pride Flag returns to Merced’s Bob Hart Square during ceremony supporting LGBTQ+ community

There were tears, hugs, singing and plenty of cell phones out to capture the moment as the Progress Pride flag was raised over Bob Hart Square in downtown Merced during an emotionally charged ceremony on Wednesday night.

The event, which serves as a kickoff to Pride month, included plenty of stories from people of all ages.

“Last year was the first year that this had happened and it started a new, more inclusive, more diverse, more welcoming and more loving Merced,” said Merced Pride Center Executive Director Jennifer McQueen.

“To have that eclectic sort of a group of folks here, in one space tonight, speaking and sharing their stories is exactly what this town needs to see,” McQueen added.

Wednesday marked just the second time the rainbow flag representing the global LGBTQ+ community was raised in Merced.

It will now become an annual event after a majority of the City Council recently voted the banner will fly over Bob Hart Square during the month of June every year moving forward as part of the annual calendar.

“We’re here today to celebrate our community, we’re here today to celebrate you,” said Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto. “And on our end, the little part that we can do — on behalf of the city — we’re proud, I’m proud to take a part in this, just a little role that we play in allowing this to happen.”

The decision didn’t come without some pushback from a few Merced residents and City Council members.

Councilmember Kevin Blake said his “no” vote had nothing to do with the LGBTQ+ community specifically, saying he was against flying any banner other than official federal and state government flags.

“The councilmember who voted no, he doesn’t need to make everybody happy,” said Councilmember Jesse Ornelas, who spoke at Wednesday’s ceremony. “He’s on his way out. I respect it. That’s what democracy looks like, not everyone has to agree.”

Ornelas, who was one of the council’s strongest voices in support of flying the Progress Pride Flag in Bob Hart Square, says he’s also received voicemails and e-mails from people voicing their displeasure with the flag being raised.

There were a few people protesting the raising of the flag on Wednesday, including one man wearing a Tea Party Patriots T-shirt, holding a sign that said he was against flying it on city property.

Standing next to that protester was 21-year old UC Merced student Rosy Oliveros, from Oakland, holding a sign that read: “The Pride Flag is here to stay.”

Still, the event was peaceful with the anti-flag protesters leaving midway through the ceremony.

“I think you’re seeing a safe space being created along all of Merced with more people coming, with more people sharing their stories, being willing to face any potential adversaries,” said LGBTQ+ community activist Adam Lane. “It’s slowly but surely making Main Street a safe space.”

Event had meaning for many

Ornelas shared with the crowd how his oldest daughter came out to him, and how he’ll get to walk her down the aisle at her wedding and help her pick out her wedding dress.

“She’s my oldest daughter, to have her in my life is really important to me,” Ornelas said. “I wasn’t always in her life the way I should have been. So being able to be that person for her is special to me.”

Ornelas says she’s “really my motivation to be as active as I am.”

The Pride Progress flag in Bob Hart Square 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.

McQueen says the most important thing about the flag being raised is the visibility.

“It meant a physical symbol and a physical sign being publicly put up in literally the middle of the busiest place in the entire city,” McQueen said. “For me it’s all about visibility.”

“I had community members tell me when that flag went up last year, it was the first time they felt they could walk these streets be truly who they are,” McQueen added.

The crowd included teachers, local leaders, business owners and representatives offering their support.

Hope for a changing community

McQueen said it meant a lot hearing the stories shared from people in the community and called Wednesday’s second flag raising a “historic moment” for Merced.

“It really means creating an environment, a culture, a space right here in Merced County, where my kids as teens and that young 4-year old will now be able to grow up and go to school, and move about this city and be free to be as is and not have to hide,” McQueen said.

Eleven-year old Alex Carlson spoke at last year’s event and again addressed the crowd on Wednesday night., thanking everyone for working to make this happen.

“It brings hope because I’ve always thought that Merced is kind of more a conservative-ish town, but seeing that we have the flag up, kind of brings hope and I can see that the community is out,” Carlson said. “I’m really proud of how Merced is doing.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 12:11 PM.

Shawn Jansen

Merced Sun-Star

209-385-2462

Sports writer Shawn Jansen has been covering Merced area sports for 20 years. He came to Merced from Suisun City and is a graduate of San Diego State University. Prior to the Sun-Star, Shawn worked at the Daily Republic in Fairfield.