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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Two items are acceptable to beryllium discussed among the Fresno County Board of Supervisors that volition impact however the region recognizes LGBTQ+ Pride.
In the committee gathering connected Tuesday, Supervisor Garry Bredefeld requested an audit by the Fresno County Administrative Office (CAO) aft helium says astir $6,000 of region funds were spent by region organizations connected the Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival.
"Public Health and different departments spent conscionable nether $6,000. They paid for condoms and they paid for lube, and a instrumentality that had rainbow cheery pridefulness connected it— that's payer money, that's not an due usage arsenic acold arsenic I'm acrophobic utilizing payer money," said Bredefeld, who represents District 2.
Because of this, Bredefeld says helium is proposing an administrative bid that volition necessitate immoderate region section to get the board's support earlier spending wealth astatine a assemblage event.
"We privation Public Health to supply information, we don't privation them to beryllium advocates," helium said.
The Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival is wholly funded by the assemblage and sponsors. However, organizers accidental if wealth was spent by the county, it did not spell to waste.
"[Bredefeld] wants to marque it perverse. We're not endorsing thing but safety, wellness for the community— needs that we spot successful the assemblage that these agencies tin assistance with. That is what these agencies are for," said Binx Lopez, a unpaid for Fresno Rainbow Pride for implicit 20 years.
Lopez says region organizations were good wrong their close to supply resources to the LGBTQ+ community.
"[Bredefeld] wants to present bash an audit connected agencies participating successful regards to the backing successful participating astatine the festival. They're doing outreach, that's perfectly important to the community, and this is simply a immense accidental for them to scope a batch of people— and yet, helium feels it's inappropriate," she said.
Along with the audit, Bredefeld is besides requesting the CAO to supply a database of holidays the region should admit that the committee volition approve. Of these holidays, Bredefeld says helium does not privation to see Pride.
"For example, the committee approved lone the United States emblem and California emblem to alert extracurricular region buildings. Why did they bash that? Because radical were trying to propulsion the Gay Pride emblem to alert extracurricular region buildings. Most spot that arsenic divisive," helium said.
"Right present successful the libraries, they person cheery Pride each implicit the libraries— I don't deliberation that's due to do," Bredefeld continued.
With 16,000 radical successful attendance astatine Fresno's Pride Parade and 20,000 astatine the festival that followed, Lopez believes Bredefeld's views bash not talk for the assemblage helium represents arsenic an elected official.
"These are the radical that you are representing, it's a ample portion of your community. I would invitation [Bredefeld] to travel adjacent year. We privation you to spot the emotion successful the air... He feels it's inappropriate and divisive, well, travel out, travel retired and I deliberation we'll beryllium you wrong," Lopez said.
To the region agencies that participated successful Fresno's Pride celebration, Lopez looks guardant to seeing them again adjacent year.
"We anticipation they travel back. Like I said we consciousness it's overmuch needed successful this assemblage and for, again, a person successful the vale to not spot that is unfortunate," she expressed.
The 2 items affecting Pride designation successful Fresno County volition beryllium presented astatine the Board of Supervisors' gathering connected July 8 astatine the Fresno County Hall of Records astatine 9:30 a.m.
