'Was it all just for money?': Why this popular Pride event is leaving a Downtown Fresno venue

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The founders of a monthly enactment astatine Fresno's Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden person present divided from the downtown venue, asking if the concern truly believed successful their origin oregon "was it each conscionable for money?"

On Tuesday, Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden confirmed that the business' Pride emblem had been removed the erstwhile week and successful a connection connected societal media apologized for doing so, adding that unit "feel remorse for this egregious misunderstanding."

But that apology was not capable for the organizers of Queers and Beers, which has present decided to region themselves from the venue entirely. The group's founders felt it champion to find a caller big for their lawsuit aft astir 2 years with the venue.

Founding members Lo Contreras, Kenny Garcia, and Crystal Green decided 2 years agone they wanted to bring positivity done euphony to LGBTQ+ and different audiences successful Fresno.

"There's thing but emotion and enactment for the brew plot employees successful Tioga due to the fact that they've been truthful supportive and astonishing to us," Green said. "It's conscionable it's truly disheartening hearing, that determination tin beryllium a a displacement successful what they privation to bash due to the fact that 1 idiosyncratic feels it's not financially beneficial for them."

Lo Contreras & Crystal Green of Queers and Beers

Green says it's particularly disheartening aft she and her chap Queers and Beers DJs had spent truthful overmuch clip making memories astatine the brewery and recognizing it arsenic a harmless space.

"It's truly unfortunate, particularly erstwhile a concern has been lasting with the assemblage for truthful long," Green said. "Was it performative? Like, were they truly an ally, oregon was it each conscionable for wealth oregon for clientele?"

Green says allyship is each astir enactment and solidarity. When a concern decides to basal successful solidarity with a community, she says they should basal with their assemblage nary substance what.

"Because the LGBTQ assemblage has ever been truthful severely targeted," Green said. "It's truthful important erstwhile a concern says, 'Hey, this is simply a harmless abstraction for you, you tin travel present and beryllium yourself afloat and we enactment you and we've got your back'."

Contreras says Queers for Beers is present looking astatine a aboriginal with caller venue DulceUpFront. The venue has already posted to its societal media that it is "thrilled to invited Queers and Beers" connected July 27.

In effect to the controversy, Tioga Sequoia has offered an apology and hopes they tin gain the LGBTQ+ community's spot back.

To the assemblage of customers, employees, family, and friends wrong the LGBQT+ communities, we are profoundly atrocious for actions regarding the removal of the Inclusion Pride Flag astatine our Beer Garden past week. There was ne'er immoderate volition of removing the emblem to harm, disrespect, oregon alteration our stance connected that. Nor is determination immoderate information to the thought that we removed the emblem conscionable to pull a caller radical of customers who disagree with the flag. We admit and consciousness remorse for this egregious misunderstanding.

Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden

In effect to the statement, Christiansen says her volition was to pass the nationalist of Tioga management's actions, and radiance airy connected the information that the manager liable for taking the emblem down dismissed the concerns of his staff.

Green, Contreras, and Garcia, they accidental they are excited to spot what’s to travel and carnivore nary idiosyncratic hard feelings towards Tioga.

They privation them the champion successful the aboriginal and anticipation for a accidental to mend the narration that was built.