Pride flag flies at the Hall of Administration — a first for an L.A. County building
Thirty-one years after the downtown Hall of Administration was named after her father, then-supervisor and liberal reformer Kenneth Hahn, Supervisor Janice Hahn witnessed history Thursday: the flying of a Pride flag at the building honoring her dad.
The event at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration kicked off LGBTQ+ Pride Month and marked the first time a Pride flag flew over a Los Angeles County building.
The Progress Pride Flag will fly daily at county offices during Pride Month, and the timing felt right to Janice Hahn, the board chair. She was co-author of the resolution with Lindsey Horvath, supervisor for District 3.
“We are seeing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans bills being passed at an alarming rate across the country,” Hahn said in a statement after the five-member board unanimously voted in March to fly the Pride flag at county offices every year. “Here in Los Angeles County we’re making our position clear: in the largest county in the nation, LGBTQ+ residents have the unwavering support of their government.”
Mariah Carey, stars from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and a queer comic-book convention merit a mention in our curated list of ways to celebrate Pride Month in SoCal.
The Progress Pride Flag, designed by Daniel Quasar, is modified from the original rainbow flag to include chevrons in black, brown, pink, white and light blue on the left side to represent Black and brown LGBTQ people and the trans community, respectively.
Hahn and Horvath were joined at the flag-raising event Thursday morning by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger, Dist. Atty. George Gascón and Assessor Jeff Prang.
Also in attendance was Sister Tootie Toot, a member of the L.A. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ activist group of drag nuns. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence received national attention after the Dodgers announced they would bestow the sisters with a community heroes award during a June 16 Pride Night event at Dodger Stadium, then rescinded it after getting backlash from conservative religious groups before reinstating it over the course of several days.
For the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, it’s about comforting those in need, Pride award or not. After the Dodgers tumult, the drag nuns reflect on their ministry.
The unveiling of the Pride flag at the Hall of Administration comes amid a climate in which states have restricted the rights of transgender and other LGBTQ+ communities, banning drag performances in public spaces and prohibiting gender-affirming procedures or hormone replacement therapies for minors.
There are currently more than 490 bills restricting rights for the LGBTQ+ community this legislative session, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Joe Hollendoner, chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, said in a statement that although “symbolic gestures” were expected for June, “this year really does feel different.”
“The reality is, this is a troubling time for queer and trans people in our country, and we need all the loud and proud displays of support we can get,” Hollendoner said. “Of course, it’s essential that these showings are followed with tangible support for our community.”
In a 3-2 vote, the Redlands City Council voted last month not to fly a Pride flag because flying an unofficial flag violates city policies.
The Huntington Beach City Council voted in February to no longer fly the rainbow flag at City Hall and to limit what flags can fly on city property.
“It’s not about getting rid of the Pride flag. I have a nephew and a niece that are both gay, and we love them dearly,” said Councilmember Pat Burns, author of the ordinance. “But in my family, we recognize everyone equally. ... Let’s just stick with our beautiful American flag and everything else.”
The ordinance bars flags outside of those representing the U.S., the state of California, the city of Huntington Beach and Orange County, as well as the POW/MIA flag and those representing the branches of U.S. armed forces, from being raised on city property.
The angst at Saticoy Elementary School has ratcheted up after parents created an Instagram account protesting the school’s upcoming Pride month assembly.
Last week, a transgender teacher at Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood discovered a Pride flag that had been displayed in a flower pot was burned and the pot broken by an intruder. Los Angeles police confirmed they were investigating the vandalism.
Tensions have flared at the school after some parents protested the school’s Pride month assembly, in which administrators planned to talk about families with gay parents.
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