Raising the Pride flag in American Canyon
The city of American Canyon held a ceremony to hoist the Pride flag in front of City Hall on Friday.
The flag-raising comes on the eve of Pride month, which officially begins June 1. City Manager Jason Holley said the ceremony is an acknowledgement of the city’s commitment to supporting visibility, dignity and equality for all LGBTQ+ people in American Canyon.
At noon, about three dozen city workers and locals gathered in front of city hall to watch the flag be raised. City workers handed out small pride flags and celebratory multi-colored ice cream cups to celebrate the sunny midday event. There was a friendly spirit in the air.
Gregory Kearns and Mandy Huffaker, both locals, were among those who came out to the event to show their comradery and their support for the people in their community.
“We saw some negative comments on social media about the flag raising, and we wanted to be here as a show of love and compassion,” said Huffaker.
For the two, this show of support was not only a gesture towards their community, but towards those in their personal life as well.
“I have a lot of family in that community, and I feel like they deserve strong allies,” Kearn said.
Another attendee was Kylee Dalton, a program coordinator for LGBTQ Connection, a Napa-based non-profit. As a volunteer and a member of the LGBTQ community themselves, they were grateful for a chance to celebrate with the city.
“Nowadays, it’s harder and harder to find safe spaces. The fact that American Canyon has put so much effort into being a safe space, we really appreciate it,” said Dalton.
Dalton was invited by the city to speak to the crowd on Friday, as well as at the upcoming city council meeting on June 3. In her address, she acknowledged the city’s efforts to serve the LGBTQ community and celebrated the opportunity to come together as a community on this day of support.
“Not every city is this friendly to our community and so for American Canyon to be loud and proud of their allyship, it’s incredible,” said Dalton.
The crowd chatted amongst themselves for the most part, only pausing their conversations to listen to Dalton or to watch the flag climb up the pole. Their cheers grew as the flag inched closer to the top, and they erupted with an applause of approval as it reached its apex. The flag flies high above the city’s own flag, where it will remain until the end of June.
