November 8, 2024

LGBTQ groups honored as Pride Month begins

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Joe Taitano II, Pacific Daily News Published 4:32 p.m. ChT June 1, 2021 | Updated 5:31 p.m. ChT June 1, 2021

LGBTQ Pride March 2018 Pacific Daily News

To kick off Pride Month, several LGBTQ organizations were recognized for their work to promote the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of the LGBTQ community.

Pride Month honors the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, where members of the LGBTQ community stood up to protest the raiding of a popular gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, for six days. At the time, homosexuality was still considered a criminal offense, and the uprising is considered a tipping point for the LGBTQ movement in the United States.

A Pride flag is displayed in front of a Guam and U.S. flag to kick off Pride Month at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña, June 1, 2021.

A Pride flag is displayed in front of a Guam and U.S. flag to kick off Pride Month at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña, June 1, 2021.

 (Photo: Frank San Nicolas/PDN)

Sen. Tina Muña Barnes presented a resolution recognizing the following organizations for their work, during the governor’s proclamation of Pride Month on Tuesday.

  • The Guam Pride Committee,
  • Guam Pride Inc.,
  • Guam’s Alternative Lifestyle Association,
  • The House of Diosa,
  • The Sisters of the Moonlight,
  • Guma’ Gela’,
  • Trinity Hufana and 
  • Miss Queen of the Pacific 2021
  • The Guam Visitors Bureau and the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence were also recognized. 

    “Last year, we have made a lot of strides, a lot of accomplishments in, you know, same-sex marriage,” Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said. She stated that she was encouraged by the accomplishments of the LGBTQ community in the area of advocacy and acceptance of lifestyle diversity, but acknowledged that there was more work to be done. 

    “The one best thing that all of us as LGBTQ people can do to change people’s attitudes is to be true to ourselves and to come out to acknowledge our own truth,” Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio, the island’s first openly gay lieutenant governor, said.

    Despite the discrimination that LGBTQ individuals could sometimes suffer, there was always a community to be found on Guam, Tenorio said. 

    “The thing with the LGBTQ community here is that we are a family. And we are your family, especially those that can’t count on their family, we’re here for you until you can,” he said. 

    He encouraged all young people to continue to fight for their dreams and reminded parents that their children could aspire to be whatever they wanted, no matter their sexual orientation.

     “Biba Guam pride!” he said, joined by a chorus of cheers.   

    Matthew Pascual poses beside a Pride flag at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña, June 1, 2021.

    Matthew Pascual poses beside a Pride flag at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña, June 1, 2021.

     (Photo: Frank San Nicolas/PDN)

    Here are some of the events you can look forward to in June: 

  • Guam Pride will host June 4 Pride Wave at the ITC Building intersection, and June 26 Equality Guam Pride Panel via Zoom;  
  • Guma’ Gela’ will host Zoom talks for the first three Sundays of the month, on “Coming Out and Coming To,” “Queer heroes,” and “Queer family, parenting, and child-rearing;”
  • Guma’ Gela’s “Ginen Gof Li’e” exhibit at Saggan Kotturan Chamorro, on Fridays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (find out more @guma_gela on Instagram);
  • Guam Coalition’s Pride motorcade on June 30, and a series of LGBTQ advocacy webinars on June 16, 17, 23, and 24 (guamcoalition.org); and
  • House of Diosa’s Pride shows every Thursday at Club Icon at 11:30 p.m.
  • Reach reporter Joe Taitano II at jtaitano@guampdn.com

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