LA County officially kicks off Pride Month with blessing from The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. County LGBTQ+ Committee gathered on Tuesday, June 3, to officially kick off Pride Month across the county with a blessing from The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who purified the space with their sacred chicken, then led everyone in blessing the Progress Pride flag before raising it at the Kenneth Hall of Administration. 

“By raising this flag, the emblem of our souls and of our souls, of our love, of our survival and of the gifts we offer to every Angeleno in this county — you all declare and you declare to everyone both here and abroad, that we are your people and you affirm that this is our home too,” said Sister Unity. “This needs to be done, because once again, our county and our nation houses people who want us gone, who wish us harm.” 

Supervisors Janice Hahn, Holly J. Mitchell, Lindsey P. Horvarth and Hilda L. Solis spoke on the importance of representation in the face of discrimination, homophobia and transphobia. 

Supervisor Hahn mentioned in her speech that her late father, Kenneth Frederick Hahn, designed the L.A. County flag and it was clear to her that he believed that a flag was more than just a piece of fabric. 

“My dad, the original Supervisor Hahn, designed the L.A. County flag and he understood that a flag is not just fabric. A flag is a symbol. It’s a visual representation of who we are, what we value and what we stand for,” she said.

Two years ago, Supervisor Hahn started the tradition to raise the flag alongside the one her father designed, and then it was Supervisor Horvath who suggested that the Pride flag be flown on all county facilities across Los Angeles. 

“Now, in every corner of our vast county — from our lifeguard stations on our beaches, to every library, fire station — and may I add — all eight county buildings in the city of Downey. Wherever there is a county facility, the Progress Pride flag will send a clear, powerful message to our LGBTQ residents: ‘your county government unequivocally and unapologetically has your back.’”

The comment about the city of Downey is in regards to a controversial Pride flag ban that was enacted last year. 

Supervisor Hahn then introduced L.A. County Assessor Jeff Prang, one of the longest-serving out elected officials in the state of California. Due to his long history in government and as a member of the LGBTQ community, Assessor Prang helped launch the L.A. County LGBTQ Elected Officials Association with over 50 active members from all levels of government. 

“We are in a moment of crisis in the nation. Across the country, an extremist movement is working to dismantle LGBTQ rights — from banning books to criminalizing gender-affirming care, to silencing drag performers, to targeting our youth and families with cruelty disguised as policy,” said Assessor Prang. “These are not isolated incidents, this is a campaign of fear and repression.” 

Héctor Trinidad-Plascencia, the chair of LGBTQ+ Commission, encouraged attendees who are not from the queer and trans communities to remove the blockages that keep them from being in solidarity with queer and trans people. 

“With your solidarity, we are creating a different world together starting in our county home and for the nation to follow,” they said.