Robin McGehee's journey to becoming the City of Fresno's LGBTQ+ liaison

FRESNO, Calif. -- Robin McGehee made past becoming Fresno's archetypal LGBTQ+ liaison, arsenic her pursuit for adjacent attraction continues successful the look of politics.

In Celebration of Pride Month, ABC's "Our America: Who I'm Meant To Be" explores the McGehee's journey.

"You person a prime successful a infinitesimal of struggle that you tin either conscionable instrumentality it and, succumb to the conflict, which lone builds resentment," McGehee said. "It lone is going to thrust you much crazy. oregon you tin determine that I'm going to bash thing astir this. I privation to beryllium active. I privation to basal up for myself."

McGehee recalls her acquisition starring up to the 2008 Presidential Election, which had the arguable California ballot measurement Proposition 8 spell to voters. The measurement would adhd connection to the California Constitution that defined matrimony arsenic betwixt 1 antheral and 1 woman.

"All I could deliberation astir is we request to signifier and amusement them that we're conscionable similar everyone else, that we request to beryllium welcomed into this society," McGehee said.

She remembers predetermination nighttime vividly.

"We mislaid Prop. 8 connected the nonstop aforesaid nighttime that Barack Obama won," McGehee said. "So it was similar a sucker punch. I had my hands up here, and past my belly was similar successful turmoil."

The Fresno Bee interviewed that aforesaid week astatine a candlelight vigil that McGehee had organized astatine her church, the Wesley United Methodist Church.

That interrogation would beryllium seen by the clergyman of the church. and make a domino effect that would pb McGehee down the way of assemblage activism.

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"I got a telephone telephone from the main and said that she was successful tears. She was like, I'm truthful atrocious to person to archer you this, but we're going to person to region you from the president of the PTA," McGehee said.

In response, she pulled her lad who was attending schoolhouse astatine the religion and severed ties completely.

"I swore I would ne'er halt warring until they felt arsenic welcomed successful the assemblage arsenic each different kid," McGehee.

Joined by different frustrated parents, McGehee would signifier a march onto the steps of Fresno City Hall called "Meet successful the Middle."

"The crushed that was important is due to the fact that the politician astatine the clip was, Alan Autry," McGehee said. "He was utilizing the steps arsenic a bully pulpit to talk retired against our families."

"I bash judge that 'Meet successful the Middle' showed the community, you're not alone."

McGehee would instrumentality her activism to the nationalist level, co-directing the National Equality March that saw 250,000 radical march successful Washington D.C.

As good arsenic founding the non-profit enactment "GetEQUAL." A radical that advocated for LGBT societal and governmental equality done confrontational but non-violent nonstop action.

"We highlighted the injustices. We brought attraction to the bills that needed to beryllium repealed..." McGehee said. "But we besides brought attraction to the information that our question is intersectional. We were arguing for trans rights aboriginal on, pushing antithetic environments, astir radical individuality and not conscionable being a achromatic movement."

Now, 15 years later, she present holds a first-of-its-kind relation as the LGBTQ+ Liaison wrong the City of Fresno's Office of Community Affairs.

"We privation dignity. We privation to beryllium capable to, you know, emotion our spouse and our kids and conscionable unrecorded our life," McGehee said.