Supervisors approve Pride Month resolution amid pushback 

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in July declaring June as Pride Month.

The resolution returned to the supervisors' table as a consent agenda item after a stalled 2-0 vote on June 18. First District Supervisor John Peschong and 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold abstained from voting while 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding was absent.

"It's my understanding that after that meeting the chairperson [Arnold] agreed to put the item back on the agenda so that the entire board could consider it," County Counsel Rita Neal told New Times.

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• File Photo By Jayson Mellom
• BALANCED SPEECH Based on 4th District Jimmy Paulding's call to curb offensive content while still honoring free speech rights, the county is reviewing the Board of Supervisors' rules of procedure on what regulations can be imposed to create a balance.

At the July 9 meeting, the supervisors voted 3-0 in favor of the resolution, with Arnold dissenting. Peschong abstained, mirroring his action in June.

"This is one I voted 'no' on a year ago and will continue to vote 'no' on that. I don't want anybody to take this as hatred and blow it out of proportion like they did a year ago," Peschong said at the June 18 meeting. "I have a problem with biological males ... participating in women's spaces and that includes women's sports."

In 2023, the Board of Supervisors voted in a similar fashion, approving the Pride Month resolution in a 3-2 vote with Peschong and Arnold dissenting.

Criticism flooded supervisors' chambers on July 9 and prior to the meeting, with some community members asking them not to approve the resolution. The actions are similar to opposition that broke out in Arroyo Grande and Atascadero city halls this year when those city councils contemplated raising a Pride flag and proclaiming June as Pride Month, respectively.

Nipomo resident Terri Stricklin wrote to the Board of Supervisors on July 8.

"I have gay relatives and friends that I love and respect," her letter said. "I am opposed because highlighting and honoring people's sexual preference is not something government employees (you!) and government agencies should be doing. It's as silly as if you wanted to have a 'Heterosexual Month.'"

County resident Karen Aguilar claimed at the July 9 meeting that the "plus" sign in LGBTQ-plus stood for "man-boy love." The plus sign represents all other identities not included in the acronym.

Gaea Powell, an Arroyo Grande resident and former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate, showed her opposition to the resolution by displaying a lengthy presentation during the public comment period. It included clips of a company called Tenet Media's coverage of San Francisco Pride. Tenet Media reporter Tayler Hansen approached naked people celebrating Pride and asked them how they felt about being nude in public spaces and around kids.

Several people gasped and winced in the supervisors' chambers when Powell showed the clips.

One woman stood up and said, "I'm begging you to stop this. I don't want to watch this."

"Close your eyes!" responded another.

Powell went on to show images of LGBTQ-plus books for children followed by a slide that contained illustrations of graphic sexual positions. Supervisor Paulding interrupted the presentation and told County Counsel Neal that the images were pornographic. He said he was concerned about kids seeing these slides if their parents tuned in to watch the meeting.

Neal told New Times that while many people took offense with Powell's video presentation, there are First Amendment protections around this kind of speech.

"As long as the speech does not result in an actual disruption or constitute 'obscenity,' which the U.S. Supreme Court has narrowly defined, speech like this can still be considered protected speech," she said. "We are reviewing the board's Rules of Procedure and researching what regulations or procedures the county can impose that limit the reach of offensive speech like this and are consistent with the First Amendment."

Some members of the public protested Paulding's request to stop showing those images.

"Those are in our schools!" one man shouted at him. "Maybe you should remove them there first and then here."

Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson called Powell's presentation a "shock" tactic, while 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said such videos are exactly why the resolution must be adopted, in order to provide a safe and welcoming space for marginalized groups like the LGBTQ-plus community. Δ