Long Beach Post Covers Transgender Flag Raising at City Hall
The Long Beach Pride Team2 min read
The Long Beach Post covered a first for our city: the transgender pride flag raised at the Civic Center, to fly over City Hall every November.
On Nov. 20, 2024, the City of Long Beach raised the transgender pride flag at its Civic Center for the first time. The Long Beach Post covered the morning ceremony in a story by John Donegan, and we are proud our community’s voice was part of it.
According to the Post, the flag will now fly daily over City Hall every November, Transgender Awareness Month, after a unanimous City Council vote the day before.
A Day of Remembrance
The ceremony fell on Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors transgender people who have been killed. The Post noted that the day was first observed in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender woman murdered in 1998.
Councilmember Cindy Allen proposed flying the flag at the Council meeting. The Post reported that she cited data finding 426 transgender people had died globally in 2024, including 113 in the U.S.
It is our hope that we will foster a more inclusive and tolerant atmosphere for our transgender community but most importantly it will be a symbol that Long Beach loves and stands in solidarity with our transgender community.
Councilmember Cindy Allen, via the Long Beach Post
People Were Watching
Our President, Tonya Martin, spoke at the Council meeting. The Post shared her point that the vote mattered well beyond Long Beach, noting that a watch party in Nashville, Tenn., tuned in to see it.
So this is what we’re looking at, and you’re making a difference. Your words made a difference because people are watching tonight. And they are listening.
Tonya Martin, President, Long Beach Pride, via the Long Beach Post
The Post also pointed readers to a candlelight vigil hosted by The LGBTQ Center Long Beach that evening at Bixby Park, to remember those who have died.
Why It Matters to Us
This moment builds on work our community and the City have done together. In 2022, Martin wrote and advocated for the City’s Gender-Inclusive Language Policy, brought forward by then Vice Mayor Cindy Allen and Councilwoman Suely Saro, so that future city laws reflect Long Beach’s transgender and nonbinary residents. Martin is also a co-founder of uniTy, a transgender awareness and support event.
We’re grateful to the City Council for this step and to the Long Beach Post for telling the story with care. Seeing our trans siblings’ flag above City Hall each November means a great deal to our community.
Read the full story at Long Beach Post.
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