Several community members attended a May 28 Redmond City Council meeting to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. After a lengthy public comment period, the Council voted 6-1 to approve a Proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month for the first time.
According to Mayor Ed Fitch, the recognition was something members of the community had requested. “We’re recognizing that they’re an important part of our community, as we would many others, so it’s a job well done,” he told the Source Weekly.
Pride month is celebrated each year in the month of June, honoring the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28, 1970.
Before the decision in Redmond, many residents took part in the public comment to discuss the proclamation. Most were in support of it. Many individuals expressed their and gratitude to the mayor and the council for considering it.
Redmond Resident Stephanie Hunter weighed in on the proclamation at the meeting, stating her support while highlighting the importance of the proclamation.
“A challenge for our times is that individuals and families that have the right to celebrate Pride every day, not just in June, do not feel safe. I’ve heard from people that wish they could be here tonight but are fearful,” she said.
Hunter went on to say that moments like this are part of the solution. “Moving forward to the future, more must be done to protect everyone in our community from the fear of physical violence.”
Anne Graham, a transgender woman, also spoke out at the meeting. Graham has lived in Redmond for 14 years and served on the Redmond City Council from 2015 to 2017. She sees the overall community as open and accepting, expressing that she has never encountered any kind of gender hostility.
“In my experience, Redmond has always been open to diversity in the daily activities of our social life. The Pride proclamation simply acknowledges the worth of a subset of our community and is, frankly, long overdue,” she said.
Some individuals who spoke at the meeting urged the council not to make the proclamation, citing religious viewpoints against homosexuality.
Before the vote, city councilors weighed in and responded to the negative comments.
“Don’t act like this is something new, this is nothing new. We are not trying to force anything down anyone’s throat. What we’re saying is we want everybody to be treated equally and with fairness, and that’s what I’m saying,” Councilor Clifford Evelyn said at the council meeting.
Councilor Tobias Colvin said during the meeting that he’s a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community. “The opposition that we have seen shows that we have work to do in education and understanding that this community is our neighbors, family, friends and co-workers,” Colvin said.
Redmond City Councilor Shannon Wedding was the lone “no” vote against the proclamation. Wedding told the Source Weekly that she supports the LGBTQ+ community.
“The way that it was brought forward right before a holiday weekend without us having a chance as a city council to discuss it was inappropriate,” said Wedding.
This article appears in Source Weekly May 30, 2024.
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So councilor Wedding voted no on the Redmond Pride Proclamation because it wasn’t brought up in enough time for councilors to discuss?? I don’t buy that because everyone has a feeling for or against Pride. Discussion shouldnt change your mind. 26 residents spoke for, 2 against for religious reasons and 2 just because. And then Deschutes RNC chair commented that it should be Harrison Butker month, but he usually says he’s the owner of the KILTED KITCHEN when he addresses public comment on any subject. Guess he doesn’t want the KK connected to this event or maybe just forgot?