The controversy and commotion surrounding the rainbow flag did not make its way up Highway 99 to Madera.
The Madera City Council officially proclaimed June as Pride Month during its Wednesday meeting, saying the city is welcoming and open to all members of the LGBTQ community.
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“The City of Madera welcomes you and everyone to our city,” Mayor Santos Garcia told two LGBTQ activists after reading the proclamation. “We are a loving community.”
Wednesday’s proclamation came on the heels of controversies in Kingsburg and Fresno over the last couple of weeks over the flying of the rainbow flag.
The Kingsburg City Council killed a proposal to formally proclaim June as Pride Month and fly the rainbow flag over City Hall. However, that decision came after four hours of public comment as activists both for and against the proclamation made their voices heard.
On the other hand, the Fresno City Council passed a resolution giving each council member the authority to fly the flag of their choice – with certain exceptions such as religious flags – over City Hall.
Even though the majority of the council was supportive of the decision, discussion led to a heated moment between Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria.
While the Madera City Council set aside 15 minutes for public comment at the beginning of the meeting, only two people chimed in over email – neither of which addressed the proclamation.
