Clayton proudly joins Contra Costa cities honoring Pride Month

CLAYTON, CA (June 1, 2020) — As a parent of a gay son, Clayton resident Dee Vieira wants to make this world a safer and more inclusive place for LGBTQ+ youth.

Knowing that City Councilmen Jeff Wan and Carl “CW” Wolfe had shown like-minded support during their campaigns, she reached out to Wolfe. He later requested the city’s recognition of Pride Month for council consideration, and Councilwoman Tujia Catalano co-sponsored the effort.

During a well-attended Zoom meeting on April 21, the council voted 5-0 to recognize Pride Month via a proclamation as well as flying the rainbow flag at City Hall, the Grove and the Clayton Library. Several council members reported receiving tremendous support for this initiative via letters from Clayton residents and the community beyond, including Shawn Kumagai. The gay Dublin City Council member faced a rather tumultuous battle to have Pride Month recognized in his city last year. It served as a catalyst for solidary support throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Recognizing Pride Month

As of 2019, 17 of the 19 cities in Contra Costa County had recognized Pride Month via a proclamation and/or flying the Pride flag – leaving only Danville and Clayton.

“To be clear, gay rights are civil rights,” Wan noted at the April 21 meeting.

Wolfe added: “The time has finally come for Clayton to stand up and say, ‘We do support Pride Month, we will fly the flag and we will do the right thing because we welcome our gay brothers and sisters to our community.’ ”

Cesar Zepeda and Kiku Johnson donated the rainbow flags, via the Rainbow Community Center. The Pride flag was raised for the first time at Clayton City Hall on June 1, with Mayor Julie Pierce reading a proclamation. The city also ran the fountain that day, with Clayton residents sponsoring the cost in honor of Pride Month and our LGBTQ+ youth.