The City of Santa Fe raised its Pride Flag over City Hall on Monday. It’s one of several events occurring in the city to honor the LGBTQ+ community.
City Manager John Blair and Councilors read a proclamation before raising the flag.
Blair says the city is doing a lot to ensure Santa Fe is a safe place for people of all genders to work, play and live.
He says growing up as a young gay man in Santa Fe, the city had always been progressive regarding the rights of individuals.
“City staff have organized great Pride Month activities including Show Your Pride Fridays for city staff to wear colorful rainbow-themed clothing, the reading of a City Pride Proclamation and ceremonial raising of the inclusive Pride flag, and the 2022 Pride Parade,” he said. “Santa Fe has such a proud, rich queer history and I’m grateful for every queer person who makes Santa Fe their home. I want to make sure every Santa Fean who identifies as LGBTQ+ knows that your City leadership sees you. You are valued, you are respected and I thank you for being your true authentic selves,"
But while great strides have been made over the years, both Blair and Councilor Signe Lindell say there are warning signs of those rights being rolled back.
Lindell says she’s concerned how the rights of her and others are under attack in some places in the country.
“I remember the first pride parades in Albuquerque, we were given about a six-foot-wide space to walk in and there were more people opposing us than were people marching,” she said. “It doesn’t feel that way now. It feels joyous and a celebration but we also know that we have a very, very large political contingency in this country that are chipping away, working, and focusing on turning back rights for our community.”
Blair announced that Santa Fe is taking various initiatives to protect the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
They include developing an anti-bullying policy for youth in city facilities, a non-discrimination policy to include gender orientation, identity, and expression, and working with the Human Rights Commission to make Santa Fe the most queer-friendly city in New Mexico.
The big event scheduled for this week is The LGBTQ + Pride Parade taking place this Saturday from 11:30am to 1pm on the streets of downtown Santa Fe.
The Pride of the Plaza event, organized by the Human Rights Alliance will run from 11am to 5pm.