Good evening, trustees. My name is Daniela Vega, a senior organizer at the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties. I am here to urge you to vote yes on the Central Union High School District resolution to proclaim the month of June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
LGBTQIA+ community members deserve the ability to live authentically, with full equality and without fear.
Through years of advocacy, the first official, nationwide Pride Month in the United States was declared in June 1999. Since then, Pride Month has grown into a global celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture and identity.
Pride celebrations promote visibility, fight social stigma, honor the historical struggles for civil rights and celebrate the resilience and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community. Schools around the country recognize this month as an opportunity to commemorate LGBTQIA+ experiences and promote an inclusive learning environment where all students feel safe and seen.
The importance of celebrating our LGBTQIA+ students cannot be underestimated as attacks on students who only wish to celebrate their identities have come from the federal administration, as seen through the “Keep Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order, issued February 5, 2025, which targeted trans student athletes.
CUHSD should take this affirmative step to celebrate Pride, as it has done in previous years, including last year. A yes vote today will signal the importance of showing solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ students, families, faculty and community members.
This district should continue to celebrate the diversity of its students and reaffirm its commitment to creating and maintaining schools that are welcoming and supportive for all students to be themselves. We ask this body to vote in support of this resolution and in support of CUHSD’s students, families, faculty and community.
Thank you.