Op-Ed: California isn’t immune to anti-LGBTQ hate. This Pride month, we’re fighting for love.

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San Diego Union Tribune: California isn’t immune to anti-LGBTQ hate. This Pride month, we’re fighting for love.

[Senator Steve Padilla, 6/13/23]

Pride month was born out of a desire to live freely, openly and in dignity. While the Stonewall uprising in 1969 was the turning point in the fight for gay rights in this country, this month of remembrance has become a time for us to recognize and celebrate the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made to our nation and to our world.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of these celebrations — moments where walls can fall away, and where love is encouraged and embraced. At their core, our celebrations rejoice in every expression, every identity and every orientation, and are opportunities for us all to see the beauty in our shared humanity. They are a chance to break down the barriers of prejudice that generations before us have built.