Council Legislation

Proposed Resolution No. R2021-110

Title: A Resolution of the Pierce County Council Dedicating the Month of July as “LGBTQ + Pride Month” in Pierce County, Washington.

Status: Passed

Sponsors: Councilmembers

Final votes

July 6, 2021
Abstained Abstained Nay Aye Aye Aye Aye


Documents
Additional legislative records are available below Collapse All  Expand All
 

Public Comments

Name Date Comment
Caroline Tesch-Smith 7/2/21 7:35 PM I am asking the County Council to please vote NO on Resolution No.2021. As a Christian I do not share the same values and this decision should not be made by the County Council only, it should be a vote by the people. To my understanding LGBTQ is already recognized as pride month in June, October is the official month. Why would you want to make July as "LGBTQ Pride Month" when July is the month we celebrate America, our freedom and our flag (Red, White & Blue). Why would we want to take away from celebrating America. How about looking at Military month, a Police/Fire fighter month, Christian Month, Children Month, Jewish Month, Asian Month, Indian Month, and the list can go on and on. Please vote no on this. Thank You
Cheryl osborne 7/2/21 10:06 PM Neither Pierce Co government nor the citizens have any legitimate right or purpose in celebrating any person’s or any groups’ sexuality—be it gay, celibacy, or other. This includes banners, signage , flags, etc.
Shawna Pederson 7/3/21 6:12 PM I would like to oppose the LGBTQ Pride Month in July in Pierce County. Unless we are also going to establish a Heterosexual Month for the rest of us. If an entire month can be given to celebrate sexual choices, then let the rest of us celebrate ours, too !!
Whitney Thompson-Harner 7/3/21 8:04 PM I'm in full support of this proposal. Tacoma needs to be seen as an open, accepting, loving community and fully supportive of all of its citizens.
J Harrison 7/4/21 9:58 AM June is already nationally recognized as pride month, what is the purpose behind Pierce County having it’s own, separate month? Any community member at any given time should fee free to express their support of any particular group, we should not need back to back pride months to keep the support going. This legislation appears to be solely politically motivated, in which case the council surely has other issues they should be addressing.
Karol Bankston 7/4/21 12:53 PM I think you can eliminate all but this one "whereas" in Resolution R2021-110: “Whereas, we affirm the dignity of all people, and we call on the people of Pierce County to reflect on the importance of mutual respect and love for one another” If you propose a resolution for the citizens of Pierce County to embrace the above statement, you will be accomplishing so much toward unity among us.
Dani Schroader 7/4/21 6:36 PM I love this idea and whole heartedly support it!
William T Rowland 7/5/21 9:33 AM I am unsure why council members would ever vote yes on a segregation document. Giving one group extra benefits while stepping on conditional rights of others is wrong on all levels. I encourage you to uphold your oath of office - which in part includes support and defend the constitution. The constitution specifically states all are created equal by God and no government entity has any right or power to change this.
Lura Landon 7/5/21 9:50 AM I fully support this proposal and hope that my district leaders do as well.
Justin D 7/5/21 10:07 AM This should go forward, as equality should be prized and awareness of oppression/denial of rights should be supported. This will help people and can in no way hurt its detractors and opponents.
Amy Gardner 7/5/21 10:31 AM Dear Council Members, We appreciate the many hard decisions you make through the months and years of your service. Our county is known for being one that listens to the people of the county and does what is right for the majority. The resolution R2021-110 to adopt an "LGBTQ+ pride month" is unnecessary legislation. It is nationally recognized in the month of June and thus not needed to be given an additional month in pierce county. In addition, our countries flag represents all people. All races, classes, sexual orientation, etc.. There is absolutely no need to post a flag representing a group that is already represented by our countries flag. This is creating a division and preferential treatment to one group. We do not fly the flag of every group that wants recognition because our red white and blue represent all of us. Our military fights and defends our country for all groups. Adding the "pride" flag to our flagpole lessons the importance of the lives that died for our countries flag. We love and appreciate all members of our community, please let our countries flag stand for its intended purpose, unifying all Americans, not highlighting one group, but standing for everyone. Please reject this proposal.
robert hough 7/5/21 12:10 PM This proposal promotes an ungodly lifestyle. God has spoken and you ignore Him at your own ETERNAL peril !!
Lindsey Chumley 7/5/21 12:13 PM I oppose this legislation as PRIDE month is already designated in June nationwide. There are many other minority groups that do not get a full month of recognition (ie autism month, Native American month, and those who have physical disabilities, etc) who are ostracized and need their own recognition too. If you want a culture of equity and equality, then all these minority groups should have equal recognition as well. Our government should stay neutral on political agendas and therefore should not even designate any month for one minority group. It should be all or nothing, and I vote for staying neutral and doing nothing to show recognition for PRIDE at this time, as you cannot accommodate an equal amount of recognition for the many other minority groups. Thank you for your consideration.
Katherine Neiburger 7/5/21 12:18 PM June is pride month. This celebration should be during that month.
Erin Miller 7/5/21 12:21 PM This proposal is completely unnecessary, discriminatory, and opposed by many people in Pierce County. Vote NO!
Mel Patterson 7/5/21 12:25 PM July is about bringing Americans together in celebration of our country’s founding and our red, white, and blue American flag. Let’s not divide America with the divisive rainbow flag and a corrupt movement that inflames the culture wars and harms Christians, Muslims, and Orthodox Jews. The month of June is already Designated Pride month, why extend to July? This is a very divisive legislation
E, Ted. 7/5/21 12:26 PM I am strenuously opposed to the concept of July being designated as LGBTQ Pride Month. I do not think any time period should be designated as LGBTQ Pride time.
Jordan Brennan 7/5/21 12:33 PM JUNE, not JULY, is Pride Month. This proposal makes ZERO sense in any context and does a disservice to the LGBT community. Democrat Presidents Clinton and Obama declared JUNE as Pride Month because of decades of precedence based on historical events relating to the gay community, Stonewall in particular. Know your history! This proposal is also a shameful attempt to overshadow the miraculous events that took place in July - the founding of “a New Nation” through declaring independence from a heavy-handed empire. JULY is for remembering our great nation and it’s Independence. Please be a true leader and respect both of these months as they are and REJECT this proposal.
Sandra A Campbell 7/5/21 12:36 PM This is so stupid on ! You people know that this is inappropriate behavior and if they make so many contributions why do they need a special month to celebrate this deviant behavior?
Beverly Sharp 7/5/21 12:49 PM I oppose the resolution to dedicate July as LGBTQ plus pride month. It is an atheist religious movement that divides people. While all people are precious and made in the image of God and they have free will to choose how they live their lives. The worldview of subjective truth and atheism that is behind the LGBTQ movement is not Embraced by all. Would pierce county be willing to also have straight pride month? Or Jewish pride month? Or any other world view month? This type of thing does not unite - it divides. It Panders to one side of the political aisle because it’s the side in power right now. It is an intolerant and exclusive worldview that is not friendly to everyone.
Tara Balcom 7/5/21 1:07 PM June had already been claimed by the LGBTQ community as their month of pride. Assigning yet another month to this agenda at the county level is unnecessary. I do not support this duplicating effort.
Bonni Opthof 7/5/21 1:09 PM Washington already has an LGBTQ+ Pride month, June. Why does Pierce County need two pride months for that group of society? I am not against the LGBTQ+ community, but there are other groups of our society that could use lifting up. Vets, homelesss, Hispanics, Asian, Native American... Thank you for all you do.
S. Foley 7/5/21 1:23 PM My personal feeling is that I love people but I see no integrity in this agenda, regardless of how sponsored or protected this is by our government. Acquiescing to illusory social creations like these unstable agendas is not healthy in my book. And societal religions rather than inspired truths are known to create a scapegoat effect usually for those they said they wanted to help rather than what their good intentions are; society pays the consequence, not the politicians that promote it. And why would you want to deter investigation into finding the source of all of theses biological abnormalities but celebrate them instead? To some, supporting religion and protecting the traditional family is competition to what self empowerment they are trying to derive from their interpretation of what is going on. Personally, I advocate supporting kindness, understanding and acceptance of what these brothers and sisters can become rather than blindness of accepting what their circumstances are. What would it mean if this month would instead explore the innumerabls adverse (& known) chemicals in our environment... like the pharmaceuticals in our water supply or perfumes and nanotechnology in our food. Why are hard science like sanctity of the body or family becoming a runaway platform for radical transfusion of anything goes? EWG supports better regulation of the chemicals in our environment. And if you weren’t aware of the direct connection to chemicals in our environment affecting our body to the point of influencing the deterring or development of gender, start reading up. It’s the tip of the iceberg of the emperor’s new clothes we have been sponsoring to these ends...https://www.ewg.org/
Courtney Means 7/5/21 1:24 PM I do not support this
ronald ocheltree 7/5/21 1:27 PM i do not think we need a gay pride parade in pierce county let them go to Seattle if they want such a immoral gathering.
John Leslie 7/5/21 1:28 PM It is outrageous that Pierce County is considering forcing its residents to be part of a celebration of homosexual sex. Why is this being elevated to this level? If people want to engage in that, it is their business. But why are the rest of us being asked to celebrate this as such a good thing that it needs its own special recognition?
Nancy Gibson 7/5/21 1:30 PM Please oppose the NAMING OF JULY AS LGBTQ. THIS NOT ONLY GIVES FAVORITSM AND SPECIAL UNCONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO A SELF PROCLAIMING GROUP WHO PRACTICES NON SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN SEXUAL BELIEFS..THIS IS FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT ONLY AND NOT OTHERS WHO DO NOT SHARE THIS MENTALITY...THEREFORE WOULD BE IMPOSING THIS ON THE PUBLIC AS A WHOLE. THANK YOU FOR OPPOSING.
Tamara Saez 7/5/21 1:41 PM The month of June is already side aside for the LGBTQ+ community. There does not need to be another month.
Serena Vilhelmsen 7/5/21 1:44 PM I am confused. Why would piece county need to set aside another month to celebrate LGBTQ. June is already set aside for that nationwide. I am a live and let live person however because of my sincere faith in God and the belief of His Word I cannot “celebrate” something that is against my faith. I also want to know why we only allow 1 day Memorial Day to celebrate all that the military has done and sacrificed for our amazing country and our freedoms and yet feel it necessary to celebrate this lifestyle when there is already a month dedicated I vote no. And we should have a vote. You should not arbitrarily pass these proposals right after a Holiday when people are busy and not paying attention.
Larkin R Pritchard 7/5/21 1:48 PM Why should we support a proposal to specifically recognize this group of human beings. I am a Christian, a female,a mother, a widow, a daughter, a sister, a descendent of Irish immigrants, and a nurse and proud of every aspect of who I am. Other than Mother's day, there are no specific days or months set aside to celebrate any of those things and that is just fine by me. We are people of America. All of us. Yesterday, being our country's Independence day is to celebrate being allowed to call this wonderful, but not perfect, country of the United States of America our home. That is what we can celebrate together as a people. Stop trying to divide us into little groups. A country divided can not stand.
Mark J Snell MD 7/5/21 1:51 PM July is for celebrating our independence as a nation, not promoting sexual immorality.
Daniel Jerome 7/5/21 1:56 PM I urge the council vote against the anti-family, anti-traditional values legislation. We did not elect you to push a radical left agenda that is infiltrating every aspect of american life. I respect the right of individuals to hold views different than my own but I think it is totally wrong to pass legislation that inflicts their views on citizens who hold different beliefs.
Brenda Greeley 7/5/21 2:06 PM This is unnecessary and causes too much division in people groups!!! Having all June Pride Month and to carry over into July is going to far!
Linda Knox 7/5/21 2:10 PM Members of the Pierce County Council: Every decision, choice or vote has it's consequences. I would advise that the consequences of your vote be carefully considered. Have you attended or seen coverage of the Gay Rights Parade in Seattle? Will this resolution lead to such events here? I am a Christian, and this resolution supports what the Bible opposes. Have you considered the Christians in the County? It seems to me that with all the divisions with which our Country is suffering, why are you considering more? Why not consider a resolution celebrating The American Family Month which would go a long way to restore stability in our Nation. Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion.
Chandra 7/5/21 2:12 PM Let’s not label any month in favor of any particular group. This country is founded on a country for all. When we celebrate a particular group we are discriminating groups that are not celebrated.
Tessa Carder 7/5/21 2:23 PM I strongly oppose this bill. This is totally unnecessary and our county should be focusing on issues that support the views of the people it represents as a whole and not a small portion of the population.
Marsha Epstein 7/5/21 2:35 PM Didn’t we just have Pride month? What other group of people gets two months dedicated to it? Besides, you lump all these letters together, but I understand that the L especially in LGBTQ+ are distancing themselves from Pride, feeling disenfranchised, ostracized, and cancelled by interests that seek to erase the meaning of their existence, that indeed the LGBTQ+ cause has become the new arm of white supremacist patriarchal oppression of women, and Pride has become decidedly family UNfriendly. Keep Pierce County an awesome place to call home. Just say no to special privileges for the oppressors who claim to be oppressed. No thank you to celebrating any of that, especially for a SECOND month.
Chelsea Carbonell 7/5/21 2:46 PM Don’t we have June for this? Let’s focus on the needs of the whole community and bring it together, not just on 1 segment.
Kevin Balcom 7/5/21 2:48 PM Why is another month of this needed? They have June already.
T Caldwell 7/5/21 2:58 PM June as national pride month is more than enough focus on sexual preference/orientation, especially since that celebration isn’t inclusive of heterosexuality. Id prefer to focus on things that unite our county. Focusing on the joy of freedom and liberty as celebrated on the 4th of July is a great example.
Anna Younger 7/5/21 2:58 PM As a person with traditional Christian values, I oppose proclamations and legislation that celebrate and support same sex attraction and gender dysphoria. No society can even exist without men and women marrying each other and naturally having children. Same sex couples can’t reproduce and shouldn’t be celebrated. In order for a society to grow and thrive, people have to be able to procreate without help from medical intervention or donor sperm. They must have children the way humans are designed to reproduce! That should be more than enough of a reason fo oppose same sex partners, so I’ll leave it at that.
Kevin Means 7/5/21 3:00 PM I oppose this bill. Please do not vote to uphold anti-family bills!
Michelle Boyd 7/5/21 3:10 PM I would like to oppose the proposal to dedicate the month of July to the LGBTQ community considering we only honor veterans once a year!
Danielle m Gamotis 7/5/21 3:11 PM The nation already celebrates a pride month in June. This is excessive. Use your time and brain cells to help all communities in areas such as budget and adequate education opportunities. No one who wastes our resources in this way gets my vote.
Michael Gordon 7/5/21 3:18 PM I am a Conservative. I raised my children, five of them, in private school in Pierce County, so they would both get a good education and be as insulated as possible from any and all efforts to reinvent and/or destroy the traditional family and family values. I have sympathy for those that believe biology is something other than it was created to be, but I’m not God, and neither are you who are reading this. But there is a natural order to things, to life and creation, and the LGBTQ+ movement it the antithesis of that with is natural and created by God, and my family, my children, and my grandchildren should not be told otherwise. Further, the government has no business whatsoever pushing this agenda on my family and on the public as a whole. Rest assured, I will not support anyone in office currently or running for office that supports Proposed Resolution No. R2021-110; nor with the innumerable friends and family that I have in Pierce County. Respectully, Michael Gordon
Viktoriya Yakovlev 7/5/21 3:18 PM This anti-family and anti-children cultural movement and its associated rainbow flags and profane parades, seeks to place men in competitive women’s sports, open women’s bathrooms and locker rooms to biological men, brainwash our children in school with “comprehensive” sex indoctrination, reject basic male and female biology, encourage child abuse/mutilation, and eliminates normal pronouns. We must not recognize and promote a cultural and sexual movement that is harmful and deadly to men, women, and children
Jane Pearson 7/5/21 3:25 PM We just completed national Pride Month No we do not need another month to “celebrate”pride culture.
Melinda Rossi 7/5/21 3:27 PM Please do not adopt this resolution. I agree that all persons in our community are deserving of respect, protection and equality. However to place the sexual aspect of a person as the basis for their identity is not appropriate and should not be a public issue. They are free to make these choices in the privacy of their own homes and relationships but I do not need to celebrate those choices. We do not have a marriage pride month and I’m not asking for that. My sexuality is not what makes me who I am. I’m asking for our community to celebrate qualities and choices that are universally good - kindness, integrity, honesty, courage. When an issue is morally divisive I do not think it is the place of the council to ask the whole county to celebrate and recognize only one side of that issue. Thank you.
Kira Gilbert 7/5/21 3:34 PM Please don't sign R-110. This agenda is pushing cultural division and creating disunity in our community.
Raeanne Heath 7/5/21 3:36 PM Dear Governing Authorities, With all due respect to individuals in the LBTGQ, I see no need in having Pierce County spend a second consecutive month celebrating their lifestyle choice. Gay & Lesbian PRIDE is already celebrated all throughout June. If you desire to encourage Pierce County residents to honor groups of people in July, might I suggest these worthy demographics: -African American History Month -Women’s History Month -Disability Awareness Month -Older Americans Month -Native American Heritage Month -Deaf History Month -Asian Pacific American Heritage Month -Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month Quite frankly, we as a National Culture (and especially in the suburbs of Seattle/Tacoma), are already inundated with the LBTGQ message/agenda. I am a mother of 4 children, and I’m concerned that soon I will need to navigate around inappropriate government approved experiences like “Drag Queen: Story Time” in our libraries. Please vote NO on the Proposed Resolution.
Kira Gilbert 7/5/21 3:37 PM I'm sorry, I sent my prior objection prior to finishing my comment. Please don't sign this. I believe it is divisive and will not promote true equality under the law.
Paul Cappaert 7/5/21 3:49 PM Oppose LGBTQ for any dedicated month.
Dennis Gibson 7/5/21 3:52 PM I oppose making July or any month to honor the LBGTQ. They have a right to do what they want but to have a special month of honor for a life style is not right. Everyone else will want to a day to honor their behavior. Common sense this is not good for Washington state.
Tammy Heimes 7/5/21 4:00 PM Dear council, I respectfully request that you vote NO to Pride Month in July. Pride and LGBTQ+ is recognized already in both June and October, adding July is not only unnecessary, but flies in the face of the many, many religious peoples of various religious backgrounds who continue to view homosexuality as against their religious beliefs. Adding an additional pride month further divides an already divided nation during a month that we should be united in our common love for this great country that affords us each the freedom to live our lives as we see fit. Please vote NO. Respectfully, Tammy Heimes
Jana BROST 7/5/21 4:05 PM Oppose. This population of folks have month of June for this celebration.
EMMETT BROST 7/5/21 4:05 PM Oppose. This population of folks have month of June for this celebration.
Laura Shadle 7/5/21 4:09 PM NO! NO!! NO!!! June is already “Gay Pride” month! Do we need to keep setting aside special days & months. They are honored & celebrated. NO MORE PLEASE! PS I don’t know my district & the map would not load for me.
Pamela Franklin 7/5/21 4:14 PM The LGBTQ community is a small portion of our society. There are people groups and ancestry groups that have contributed much more to our American/Washington culture. Interestingly, probably the majority of the LGBTQ community also belong to one of these groups, so they would still be honored. Also LGBTQ is circumstantial (“so and so was an inventor, oh, and they were gay”, “such snd such was an explorer, oh,and they were gay.”) And lastly, the very nature of LGBTQ is to say who someone likes to be intimate with. I truly do not believe that a good society can be built and sustained by making a fanfare for something that should be remain private. The inventor should be respected, but their intimate bedroom acts should not be part of the discussion.
Heather Hanson 7/5/21 4:16 PM As a voting resident in Pierce County, I urge a "No" vote on the July 6 vote designating July as LGBT Pride Month. I appreciate the opportunity to express my opinion.
Joseph Harper 7/5/21 4:16 PM We already have a pride month in June. There is simply no reason to have another month dedicated to this. Further, this resolution plays to divisive "woke" politics that seeks to tear down the values that Pierce county has had for years - namely, strong families, support for individual liberties, equality under the law, and justice for all. This resolution supports the opposite - forced equal outcomes, justice for some, unequal application of the law, group segregation, and group think/thought police. Pierce county has always stood for promoting excellence, not arbitrary division. This resolution should be voted down or vetoed, and strong leadership will recognize this.
Ryan Hanson 7/5/21 4:17 PM As a voting resident in Pierce County, I urge a "No" vote on the July 6 vote designating July as LGBT Pride Month. I appreciate the opportunity to express my opinion.
Eryn Adams 7/5/21 4:23 PM Please do not pass this legislation.
Jeff Merritt 7/5/21 4:30 PM I oppose making July ANOTHER pride month. Isn't June pride month?! This emphasis on homosexual preference is disgusting. Trans ppl are destroying women's sports. Preferring pronouns are destroying our common understanding of basic concepts of 2 genders.
Jennifer Beaty 7/5/21 4:41 PM Dear Pierce County City Council, As a member of the community, I urge you to vote NO on R2021-110 (expanding Pride Month to include July). We have endured the endless virtue signaling during June's Pride month and it's time for it to end. There is not any need to include another month to celebrate the LGBTQ community. They have acceptance and a valid place in society and there is no need to extend this marketing campaign any further. By extending it, you are targeting other groups by failing to give them a month to celebrate. When will there be Marriage Pride month? Heterosexual Pride Month? Since all of these human beings are active and productive members of society, and have contributed immensely, I would expect their celebration as well. If you care about equality for all, this should be on the agenda very soon. Can I have your support on that? The LGBTQ community has received what they've sought after. Recognition. They have it. It's time to move along. I, and MANY others are SICK to death of having this shoved in our faces. I will not support another month of this. We are all humans. Quit seeking to segregate by celebrating one group over another. Enough! Vote NO. Ryan Mello is my District Councilman. I hope to see his vote of NO on this issue. I will remember this come election season. Thank you.
Theresa Pfeiffer 7/5/21 5:29 PM I think we have other social groups that need awareness. Homeless advocacy month, Marriage month, etc. While I and others love my gay friends equally I don't understand the point of this. In fact, it is ridiculous that this IS the focus when I don't see any gay folks being discriminated against.
Gina Hemstreet 7/5/21 5:57 PM I am in opposition to this proposal.
Tim Hemstreet 7/5/21 5:58 PM I am opposed to this proposal.
Charlotte McElvain 7/5/21 6:08 PM Please don't do this. There's no reason to create a month-long celebration for this.
Gwen Morse 7/5/21 6:09 PM Please vote no on this proposal.
Yvette Davis 7/5/21 6:19 PM Please, one month of pride blasting us from every direction in June is enough. Protect our children from a never ending push towards this agenda.
Jane Lewellen 7/5/21 6:41 PM I would like to express my hope that this bill gets rejected. This bill does not promote unity which is so needed. Thank you, Jane Lewellen
Robert and Patricia Ward 7/5/21 6:42 PM We wish to advise the government of Pierce County of our absolute and unwavering opposition to Proposed Resolution No. R2021-110. The anti-family and anti-children gay pride movement, with its associated rainbow flags and profane parades, seeks to place men in competitive women’s sports, open women’s bathrooms and locker rooms to biological men, brainwash our children in school with “comprehensive” sex indoctrination, reject basic male and female biology, encourage child abuse/mutilation, and eliminate normal pronouns. We must not recognize and promote a cultural and sexual movement that is harmful and deadly to men, women, and children and destructive to the very moral foundations of our civilization. Robert M. Ward Patricia A. Ward The LGBT movement routinely seeks to cancel, discriminate, or lead boycotts against Christians, churches, and businesses across our country. This movement is not just about fairness or recognition for those with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria, it is also about destroying our Judeo-Christian heritage.
Jeff Lewellen 7/5/21 6:54 PM I appreciate your desire to support those whom might be considered marginalized but by setting aside a period of recognition for one particular group while excluding all others is divisive. Please consider actions that promote unity for all the residents of our county.
Ross Hjelseth 7/5/21 6:55 PM Don't try to marginalize promiscuous behavior. Government does not need to support such waste of taxpayer dollars. The county council is elected to serve the people, not waste time and money on radical proposals.
Ronni Hjelseth 7/5/21 6:58 PM It woukd be nice to have a council that wasn’t afraid to make common sense decisions! What month will you be designating to celebrate heterosexual relationships??? You obviously are functioning out of fear like everywhere else in America right now!
Robert Mitchell 7/5/21 7:12 PM The world, US and the state recognize pride month in June. Why does Pierce County need a separate month? Is virtue signaling an important function of a county counsel?
Ken McCollim 7/5/21 7:21 PM Agree with all you have listed, just don't agree you need a month dedicated for support & definitely don't agree with biological males competing in Woman's sport'ssport
Marci Nelson 7/5/21 7:58 PM I oppose the proposal of another month highlighting LGBTQ agenda. One month is too long let alone two. Mother’s do not get a month, Fathers don’t get a month but yet people who choose to identify as a gender other than what they are born as get a month to celebrate their choice. I am a traditional American and I oppose this move to allow another month to highlight an agenda I do t support or agree with. Please respectfully consider my request. Thank you from a concerned citizen!
Mariah Neighbors 7/5/21 8:04 PM June is Pride Month across the nation. This additional measure is not necessary.
Clay Ciolek 7/5/21 8:17 PM Shouldn't even be considered. It is not the role of government to even declare.
Newwman B. Parrish 7/5/21 8:20 PM I am asking you to vote no on this proposal.
Elizabeth Wing 7/5/21 8:27 PM Pride Month uplifts voices that have been discriminated against, celebrates LOVE and shows that as a community we value all of our community members and support equality. The people opposing this proposal are acting out of fear. Please choose to make Pierce County a welcoming place for all people. I support this proposal!
Irina 7/5/21 8:45 PM This proposal directly discriminates against all those who choose to not support this movement.
Juli Duck 7/5/21 9:03 PM I don't believe every group of people need their own month as recognition of a choice they're making.
Kristina Thor 7/5/21 9:19 PM Please do not make July gay pride month for the county. Propaganda is already in the faces of these children. We don’t need another month to confuse the children. Let children me children for the Lord’s sake.
Kristi Merritt 7/5/21 9:30 PM The lgbtq already has June as a Nationally recognized month of celebration. Why should there be two months set aside for this sexual preference? If the council cares about equity and equality, it should be voting to designate July as heterosexual month or marriage month!
Kaylie Hutchins 7/5/21 9:33 PM (I am not sure what district.) Hi, I'm 31 and grew up in Gig Harbor, and currently live here. What a beautiful place to call home! This is the Harbor. We are not like Seattle. Nor should the Harbor try to imitate others. How do YOU EXPECT to keep shining with a pure brilliance when you look and act like everyone else? Seriously, who are you trying to be Pierce County? The month of June is already a designated month for people to celebrate what they identify as. To me this proposal sounds like you're trying to be inclusive. I have an idea for you old folk trying to change things- just don't. This is not a good look Pierce County. Please do not wipe the elegance off the tapestry called, Pierce County. Please don't alter the already beautifully painted canvas with stuff. I encourage you to reconsider the waste of resources this proposal would be. Perhaps, fix your gaze on developing a brand new community pool, that we so urgently need! July can be a month to Focus On The Family! Kaylie Hutchins
Dr C A Carey 7/5/21 10:07 PM There is absolutely no need for celebrating this issue especially for a month. Let's seriously consider what we want to dedicate months to:there are 12 months only! How about marriage, abortion, catholicism...
Erin McClain 7/5/21 10:19 PM This anti-family and anti-children cultural movement and its associated rainbow flags and profane parades, seeks to place men in competitive women’s sports, open women’s bathrooms and locker rooms to biological men, brainwash our children in school with “comprehensive” sex indoctrination, reject basic male and female biology, encourage child abuse/mutilation, and eliminates normal pronouns. We must not recognize and promote a cultural and sexual movement that is harmful and deadly to men, women, and children.
Erin McClain 7/5/21 10:20 PM The LGBT movement routinely seeks to cancel, discriminate, or lead boycotts against Christians, churches, and businesses across our country. This movement is not just about fairness or recognition for those with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria, it is also about destroying our Judeo-Christian heritage. Let’s not celebrate “Pride” Month and turn July into an anti-Christian indoctrination month that will further divide our county and inflame hatred against Christians and those with traditional values. Please do not let Pierce County follow the way of Seattle and King County.
KIMBERLY Foster 7/5/21 10:49 PM Please explain why one group of people get special treatment and not others.
Rebecca Weisenhaus 7/5/21 10:58 PM This is ridiculous! Don’t you have more effective things to do within the county with your time and our tax money? Enough!
Deborah Kallander 7/6/21 12:05 AM Dear Council Members, As a resident of district 2 for over ten years, I ask that you oppose this idea of having an additional month to celebrate the LGBTQ+ minority population. As a country that community is already being highlighted during the entire month of June. Why is it being considered to continue on through July as well? Why is one month not enough? For what other minority group is this being done? Secondly, I’d like to ask you why a sexual preference is being celebrated at all? I keep my sex life private, I’m assuming as a member of the council you do too. Why is anyone’s sexual preference up on display? Please consider these questions and any reasoning or logic that supports this idea, that is is what our community needs. Stop trying to appease the minority and start paying attention to what the majority wants. This should be something that is voted on, not something forced upon your constituents you have sworn to represent.
William Johnson 7/6/21 12:31 AM Nay Pride is a sin. "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man" – Mark 7:20-23 Pride comes before the fall. "17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. 18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." – Proverbs 16:17-19 I suggest instead of falling in line with what the rest of the world is doing we do something more meaningful like love your neighbor month, include everyone. With Love William
Chris Vitzthum 7/6/21 2:43 AM The county counsel should oppose this resolution and focus its time and energy on more pressing issues and let its own citizens use its own resources and time to talk about this subject thru their other avenues of freedom of speech.
Sarah Cline 7/6/21 5:26 AM June is Pride month. I absolutely don't support this resolution to extend into July. This actually promotes exclusion more than inclusion for other groups who do not have a "month" +++ to be observed
Jeff Morton 7/6/21 5:41 AM I vehemently oppose Resolution NO. R2021-110 and would respectfully ask the Pierce Country Council do the same. I am against this resolution in the same way that I am against black history month! I am an American who happens to be black but who is a product of freedom not slavery. I do not think we should recognize any people group whether ethnic or sexual. Instead, I think recognition would best be served by those who make an exceptional contribution within the community for the benefit of the community. Recognizing a group of people on the basis of sexual identity and or sexual proclivity is not a healthy contribution to the public at large
Jeff Morton 7/6/21 5:41 AM I vehemently oppose Resolution NO. R2021-110 and would respectfully ask the Pierce Country Council do the same. I am against this resolution in the same way that I am against black history month! I am an American who happens to be black but who is a product of freedom not slavery. I do not think we should recognize any people group whether ethnic or sexual. Instead, I think recognition would best be served by those who make an exceptional contribution within the community for the benefit of the community. Recognizing a group of people on the basis of sexual identity and or sexual proclivity is not a healthy contribution to the public at large
LLOYAL HARRIS 7/6/21 6:00 AM Once again a VERY small portion of the majority is asking for special rights and privileges while the majority continues to suffer the consequences. Why does sexual preference need a month to celebrate? Why does sexual preference need such a public displays? This is not fair use of time and money.
Leslie Kellner 7/6/21 6:58 AM Is there going to be a disabilities month? A celebrate Christianity month? A celebrate heterosexual relationships month? A celebrate single moms month? A celebrate people with no kids month? Etc…
Angelina McMonagle 7/6/21 7:42 AM Another month, really?
Monica Ingalls 7/6/21 9:01 AM I strongly oppose this legislation and believe it is devisive! This legislation supports a lifestyle that leads to increased depression, suicide, sexual abuse and confusion. Making things appear "normal" and acceptable where there may need help for mental illness does not help a society or the individual. It also does not help others accept this lifestyle- it is a small percentage of people and highlighting this creates an increase of hate. Just let these people live their lives without making a spectacle out of them and allowing politicians to use them as pawns.
Cindy Manning 7/6/21 9:06 AM I would hope that you follow your ‘God given’ conscience and vote to oppose the proposal designating July as a pride month in Pierce County. July it’s a red white and blue month - it should not be converted, accented, or dominated by a spectrum of colors. In addition, steps like these lead directly to Pandora’s box. You give an inch they take a mile. For an extremely small group of people a vote was taken and domestic partnership was implemented. But that wasn’t enough, this extremely small group of people wanted the right to be married. And the door was open. Now we have boys who think they’re girls wanting free access to our young girls and women’s bathrooms. This is certainly the case of where when you tell a lie often enough it becomes their truth. I would encourage you again to search out your God-given moral standard, and vote against this additional step of forcing public acceptance on those of us who live by a biblical worldview. Vote No on July as Pride Month.
Jami Block 7/6/21 9:09 AM I am one who believes we should not recognize “Black History Month” or LGBT Month! I do not think it good for the community to recognize the color of skin or the sexual proclivity of people groups! Recognizing those who make outstanding contributions within their community is a better way to honor our citizenry.
Samuel and Amber Warren 7/6/21 9:14 AM Dear Pierce county council members. I strongly oppose in the strictest sense. This resolution does not represent the majority of the county in any sense. 1) there is already a pride month at the federal level. Why do we need to take the month of July which has historically been about celebrating freedom with independence day on the 4th. 2) this is my most important point. I am a Christian. I have seen for decades now the radicalization of kids and youth. I have watched as council's like your self have killed what makes this country great (God, Family, Freedom) without listening to the majority of people who put you in office. You need to remember you work for us. You don't work for Jay Inslee, Joe Biden, or Kamala Harris. We the people do not like this resolution. After there are no more months to celebrate the sin of the month, what will you do then? Double up? take away Black History Month? It's time you stopped listening to the yelling minority of people who are not "tolerant" like they claim and start listening to those who actually support this county. VOTE NO.
Joy Bonney 7/6/21 9:31 AM How can you even consider not supporting this super generic we support everyone statement?
Michelle Kinney 7/6/21 9:33 AM PLEASE do not pass this proposal. I do not support it! I don't identify with this group and do not want to celebrate this group, and especially don't want to designate a month on the calendar to celebrate this group. ABSOLUTELY NO!
Selena 7/6/21 9:38 AM Oppose.
Scott Wallace 7/6/21 10:02 AM Dear Council, Thank you for the important work that you do. I respectfully oppose this resolution as I am not proud of LGBTQ+ and what it represents. It is my conviction that practice of this lifestyle is ultimately destructive to those engaged and when we endorse it as a community, though well meaning, we open the door to increased participation and thus increased destruction. Thank you.
Arlo Hamel 7/6/21 10:36 AM I respectfully oppose this proposition as this is is a highly divisive issue that often leads to significant persecution for those who disagree with celebrating this very sensitive subject. People of many faiths and of goodwill throughout the county and around the world believe fully in loving their neighbors but not celebrating their neighbors' belief in certain behaviors. Such legislation leads us on a very specific path as a county that many of us are wholeheartedly against supporting due to our beliefs.
Jerad Greenwood 7/6/21 10:41 AM Please do not confuse equity of sexual preferences with race or religion. The constitution clearly protects race and religion from discrimination. Popular culture and or many “academic” institutions makes us unpopular on the basis of our race and especially of our religious views and values. Please honor our constitutional rights and preserve our democracy we the people are who the government is to be for. Also, we must be able to vote in officials who are responsible for the function of our elections as well as our application of the law.
Karol Bankston 7/6/21 10:53 AM Regarding R2021-110: I think you can eliminate all but this one "whereas" in Resolution R2021-110: “Whereas, we affirm the dignity of all people, and we call on the people of Pierce County to reflect on the importance of mutual respect and love for one another” If you propose a resolution for the citizens of Pierce County to embrace the above statement, you would be accomplishing so much toward unity among us. I do not support Resolution R2021-110 Karol Bankston
Samuel L. Stol 7/6/21 10:54 AM I vehemently oppose this legislation. I am one who believes we should not recognize “Black History Month” or LGBT Month! I do not think it good for the community to recognize the color of skin or the sexual proclivity of people groups! Recognizing those who make outstanding contributions within their community is a better way to honor our citizenry. I do not believe that this is something to be celebrated or to be proud of. We all have individual rights and two consenting adults can do whatever they want together however, that is between them and should stay that way.
Amber Stol 7/6/21 10:59 AM I vehemently oppose this legislation. I am one who believes we should not recognize "Black History Month" or LGBT Month! I do not think it good for the community to recognize the color of skin or the sexual proclivity of people groups! Recognizing those who make outstanding contributions within their community is a better way to honor our citizenry. I do not believe that this is something to be celebrated or to be proud of. We all have individual rights and two consenting adults can do whatever they want together however, that is between them and should stay that way.
Kerry Latin 7/6/21 11:04 AM Please do not pass this resolution. It’s unfairly biased highlighting one lifestyle over others and it excludes and discriminates against traditional marriage and family. Why not have celebrate family month?
Alicia Neeley 7/6/21 11:07 AM I strongly oppose this Proposal.
Yvonne Brown 7/6/21 11:11 AM This is unacceptable. We don’t need more months dedicated to the LGBT, June is enough. Everyone will want to have a month to celebrate themself. It’s become ridiculous how everyone wants to be applauded for whatever they choose to be or do. Let’s just be people!!!
Julie Atwood 7/6/21 11:34 AM Dear Council members, I urge you to please vote no on Proposed Resolution R2021-110. The LGBTQ+ movement goes against everything that God and the Bible institutes. The Bible is for marriage between one man and one woman, and that he created man and woman, not any other genders. As some of you on the council profess to be Christian, i ask you to examine your conscience to vote no and not take the easy political path of abstaining. Thank you. Julie Atwood
Tracy Harris 7/6/21 11:45 AM It is not within the rights of the county nor is it the responsibility of the county to advertise certain people groups over others. There is only so much money and resources that should be utilized for all people groups and not put one people group over the other. Our resources should be better spent to celebrate all people groups. There is not enough to go around and it does not promote Unity as a community but it actually causes division when you celebrate one group over another and exclude other people groups. My family and my community strongly oppose this proposition!
Kevin Chung 7/6/21 11:46 AM Dear Pierce County Council Members, I am writing in strong support of R2021-110, dedicating the month of July as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month” in Pierce County. In alignment with the City of Tacoma recognizing Pride in July and in support of the growing LGBTQ+ community in Pierce County, this resolution is an important decision. Passing this resolution is a meaningful action that demonstrates that the LGBTQ+ community--that people like me--belong here, in Pierce County. Thank you, Kevin Chung
Jan Brazzell 7/6/21 11:55 AM Please vote for R2021-110 in support of Pride month. Thank you!
Mary Lue Stowe 7/6/21 12:19 PM Thank you for this inclusion and validation for the Tacoma LGBTQ community. Recognition and validation saves lives in our community.
Jodi Cameron 7/6/21 12:43 PM The entire month of June is already designated to this cause. Please reject this proposal.
Amanda Macdonald 7/6/21 12:49 PM June is already nationally dedicated to this cause, we have so many other causes that could be highlighted instead.
Jen Mueller 7/6/21 12:50 PM June is already dedicated to this cause on a national level. There are many other causes to support in the month of July. I reject this proposal.
Janet Byard 7/6/21 12:52 PM It saddens me that a way of life might be celebrated that I believe is morally objectionable. This anti-family and anti-children cultural movement and its associated rainbow flags and profane parades, seeks to place men in competitive women’s sports, open women’s bathrooms and locker rooms to biological men, brainwash our children in school with “comprehensive” sex indoctrination, reject basic male and female biology, encourage child abuse/mutilation, and eliminates normal pronouns. We must not recognize and promote a cultural and sexual movement that is harmful and deadly to men, women, and children. The LGBT movement routinely seeks to cancel, discriminate, or lead boycotts against Christians, churches, and businesses across our country. This movement is not just about fairness or recognition for those with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria, it is also about destroying our Judeo-Christian heritage. Let’s not celebrate “Pride” Month and turn July into an anti-Christian indoctrination month that will further divide our county and inflame hatred against Christians and those with traditional values. Please do not let Pierce County follow the way of Seattle and King County. July is about bringing Americans together in celebration of our country’s founding and our red, white, and blue American flag. Let’s not divide America with the divisive rainbow flag and a corrupt movement that inflames the culture wars and harms Christians, Muslims, and Orthodox Jews. Rather, let us pass a resolution that promotes and honors traditional marriages--the bedrock of any society. Husband and wife married couples are the greatest and the most productive institution in human history; they are absolutely essential in raising children and sustaining our state, nation and all of human civilization. Society will die without promoting faithful, monogamous, lifelong, male and female marriages.
Joan M Douglass 7/6/21 12:53 PM Thank you for all the work you do. We already have June as LGBTQ+ pride month. Please don't add July unless you also want to designate other months to celebrate other philosophies/belief systems.
Jack W Hagey 7/6/21 12:59 PM Those who support bigots are easily removed from office in WA.
Stacy Crockett-Person 7/6/21 1:34 PM I believe this leaves a predjudiced imbalance, celebrating what one does not choose (I can't help if I am gay or straight) - and glamorizing sexual orientation rather than actual accomplishment.
Candace Estruth 7/6/21 1:47 PM I oppose this resolution . I am one who believes we should not recognize “Black History” month or LGBT month. I do not think it is good for our community.
Robert and Jan Zetterberg 7/6/21 1:55 PM We wish to have it known that we oppose the creation of R2021-110. Respectfully Robert Zetterberg Janice Zetterberg
Lilybeth Keys 7/6/21 1:57 PM Please oppose this proposal. We all have things we celebrate and prefer which do not need to be national. Thank you!
Corine Crick 7/6/21 2:11 PM June is already nationally recognized as Pride Month. Counties wanting to recognize it more locally can do so during that time.
Brian Crick 7/6/21 2:14 PM Not needed at a local level.
Shawna Tugman 7/6/21 2:15 PM I am one who believes we should not recognize “Black History Month” or LGBT Month! I do not think it good for the community to recognize the color of skin or the sexual proclivity of people groups! Recognizing those who make outstanding contributions within their community is a better way to honor our citizenry. Do not divide the community by recognizing groups by thier skin or sexual choice, recognize people and groups who have made a positive impact on the community.
Tracy von Trotha 7/6/21 2:42 PM Dear Pierce County Council Members, The June 25, 2021 post by the Pierce County Executive about County employee, Lucky Bradley, states that Lucky doesn’t seek out attention and does not want to be thought of as brave. The post on Lucky was to share a broader viewpoint of mutual inclusion and respect, part of the “Mission and Values” poster the Executive discusses with all new County employees during their orientation. Why then is the Pierce County Council and Executive set to give final consideration at its July 6th meeting to R2021-110, a resolution dedicating the month of July as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month” in Pierce County? Does this not undermine mutual inclusion and respect of personal lifestyles that do not fit into a LGBTQ+ designation? Isn’t this the County Council showing partiality to a certain set of citizens? Partiality, a favorable bias or prejudice, is directly opposed to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, which is the framework of the Constitution of the United States. We agree that it is certainly appropriate to fully celebrate the freedoms we all enjoy as Pierce County residents, particularly during the month of July - which necessarily includes the freedom for each person to choose their own personal lifestyle. On the other hand, to have Pierce County government officially proclaim recognition and promote celebration of a category of specific lifestyles over others is inappropriate, no matter which lifestyle is celebrated. In the current social environment, it takes courage to proudly live out any particular lifestyle choice. For the County to officially emphasize one lifestyle over another promotes division, not unity, and does not suggest, “There’s room for everyone at Pierce County as we better serve the people of our community!”as stated in the June 25th post. I, along with other Pierce County citizens oppose this resolution, while equally accepting personal freedom of lifestyle choice. As aptly stated in the post, “the ‘Respect’ we give each other includes the space to share as much of our lives as we choose. Some of your co-workers may be an ‘open book’ when it comes to their personal lives, and others may keep to themselves. We respect them for who they are as people and as our colleagues, and we also respect their personal decisions to share, or not.” I respectfully encourage you to abstain or to vote against Resolution No. R2021-110, in order that mutual “Respect” of personal decisions is cultivated across all departments and districts of Pierce Country government and in order that residents are encouraged to promote a culture of love and respect for ALL neighbors, friends, and family members and equal protection under the law. May every Pierce County employee and resident stand “firmly with their head held high and their shoulders back – confident in who they are,” as stated in the June 25th post. Thank you for your time and your service to Pierce County. Respectfully, Tracy von Trotha Gig Harbor, WA
Patricia Land 7/6/21 3:25 PM Please oppose making July Pride month in Pierce County. We just celebrated the entire month of June for this group. Two months are unnecessary when many other communities are not celebrated at all.
Kristy Gledhill 7/6/21 3:36 PM Recognizing, affirming and celebrating the lives and voices and rights and accomplishments of Pierce County’s LGBTQ+ residents is important and this resolution is one step in doing that. I support this proclamation and applaud Pierce County Council for making this public support official. My nephew, who lives in a rural area of Michigan was distraught and afraid and at risk when he came out at 16, confiding in me that he was sure everyone would hate him, no one would understand, he didn’t have anyone to talk to there and didn’t know what to do. He was very afraid and felt ashamed. I feel that this proclamation and the culture of love, respect and equal protection under the law it makes clear can be a lifesaver for young people like Kaleb, who can see a place for themselves in this community. The affirmation this proclamation makes possible sends the message that our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters know they are safe and that they belong and are valued here. Thank you for your introduction of this proposal and I urge you to pass it, for the good of all Pierce County residents.
Rod Nestor 7/6/21 3:48 PM I can agree with much of this proposal when it is "generic" in nature of race, creed, sexual and/or gender orientation, etc. Just be civil and treat others as you want to be treated. We do not need to continue down this pathway of segregating groups into ever smaller portions ... which will continue to attempt to esteem one group above another. We are ALL equal in the group called humans. Now, encourage and resolve to be humane and humanitarian in our collective efforts and actions. Thank you.
barbara miller 7/6/21 4:06 PM No! Absolutely Not! Resolution No. R2021-110 Please, do not force our children, our society and those who visit us from afar into recognizing “Black History Month” or LGBT Month! The color of our skin and/or the immoral sexual desires of people groups only adds to the advancement of segregation and discrimination. Resolution No. R2021-110 goes against ALL that has made our nation a strong, respectable world leader. Changing our laws to accommodate the demoralizing, destructive, and divisive victimology of certain people groups will further weaken us a nation. Currently America is still a most respected group of ALL its people. Stop the madness that’s trying to divide us all. May God bless America as we stand on His truth, His laws.