The Atascadero City Council issued a proclamation formally recognizing and encouraging the honor of LGBTQ-plus members of the community at the June 13 City Council meeting.
The proclamation was received by a variety of pro-LGBTQ-plus faith leaders, including Reverend Heather Branton, an openly gay pastor at the Community Church of Atascadero.
“Some of you don’t know what to do with me being gay and being a Christian minister, and yet you have expressed an openness and warmth,” Branton said to the council and public attending the meeting. “That comes from our mutual interest to learn and respect each other—even when our frame of reference is different.”
Branton recognized that she was very fortunate to be in the position to receive the proclamation from the city and offered her support to those who may not have experienced the same oppenness that she has.
“My experiences are my own and unique, and I recognize there are other individuals who do not have the same welcome or openness from those around them,” she said. “So to be able to receive this proclamation surrounded by many friends and familiar faces is humbling.”
In a statement, Mayor Pro Tem Susan Funk said that she requested the Pride Month proclomation “as an affirmation of respectful and inclusive community values at a time when false fears and unfounded accusations have made many LGBTQ-plus persons feel less safe in our community.”
Thirtieth District Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) supported the proclamation highlighting the important role Central Coast cities had in supporting groups regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“This proclamation will serve as a symbol of unity, acceptance, and support for our LGBTQ-plus friends, family members, and neighbors,” Addis said in a statment. “By actively promoting an environment that values and embraces all individuals, we can create a stronger and more vibrant Atascadero.”
The City Council said during the proclamation that it recognizes that many in the community felt there is still progress to be made—which could only be made if those in places of privilege exercised their power to make a difference.
“As a straight, white, married Christian woman, I have a luxury of automatically fitting in where others may feel more vulnerable due to differences,” Funk said in the statment. “Those of us in social majorities need to lead the way in creating a community that is safe for all persons and a democracy in which all citizens have a voice.”
Some of those voices—according to public comments submitted by Atascadero resident David Broadwater—include those of LGBTQ-plus youth.
“We want to make our town even better,” Broadwater said. “[LGBTQ-plus youth] need our protection, welcoming, and nurturing. Young LGBTQ-plus people are particularly vulnerable to the social environment in addition to the usual travails adolescents and young people go through growing up.”
Branton told the council and public participants that she hopes that with proclamations like this, steps can be taken to not only express support of LGBTQ-plus persons but also live out the proclamation’s statement and see that change is made positively.
“A proclamation is something that we have to live into,” she said. “In a way, it is covenanting together to value each other as human beings.” Δ
This article appears in Winning Images 2023.