In June, we celebrated Pride Month, an important opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with our LGBTQ+ family members, friends and neighbors. It’s a time to stand for principles of equality and equity. It’s also a time when we as a community can say “we support you” and “our community is safe for you” to our LGBTQ+ neighbors.
Pride Month may be over, but the work to support the most vulnerable in our community, especially LGBTQ+ individuals, continues well beyond a single month. Unfortunately, we are seeing a disturbing increase in hate crimes and discrimination targeting people of color and other marginalized communities, one of which is the LGBTQ+ community. According to a report from the California Attorney General, the number of hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people has risen by nearly 50% in the past year.
Even in Mountain View, reputed to be a progressive city, we’ve recently witnessed anti-LGBTQ+ acts of violence. In the past month, there have been two assaults based on the perceived sexual orientation of the victims.
Unfortunately, official action around the country is creating an environment in which these hate crimes multiply. The Florida legislature passed an infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law. A state court in Tennessee ruled that LGBTQ+ students are not protected by federal regulations. In the rollback of Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made it clear that he would consider cases aimed at overturning marriage equality or reinstating sodomy laws.
Imagine for a moment having your marriage dissolved by the state, or being sent to prison under a sodomy statute. That’s the kind of tragedy that happens in brutal, theocratic regimes. With rhetoric targeting members of minority groups openly stated in our public spaces, it’s no wonder that the bullies and the abusers feel empowered.
Despite decades of progress, many in our community do not feel safe. We’ve spoken with people afraid to be themselves in their own homes because they overhear hate speech from their neighbors. We know of trans seniors at great risk of homelessness because they are alone and isolated, unable to reach out. Among the most vulnerable are unhoused individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, estimated to make up 20% or more of the homeless population. The truly extraordinary staff of Community Services Agency and the city of Mountain View regularly work directly with individuals struggling not only with lack of shelter, but also with the trauma of isolation, often a consequence of being ostracized for being different.
We condemn this senseless and inexcusable bigotry, and we are proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community and affirm Mountain View and our area as welcoming and inclusive. We invite you to join us in that stand.
Raising the Pride flag and adopting resolutions celebrating diversity are important gestures of solidarity that we are proud to support. We are proud to be members of a community that embraces differences and progressive thinking. But now, more than ever, we must redouble our efforts to welcome and support our vulnerable and marginalized neighbors. Many are suffering, and even a simple act of kindness can help save a life.
Tom Myers is executive director of Community Services Agency. Lucas Ramirez is mayor of Mountain View.
