A close-up is featured of a newly installed and painted Pride Crosswalk near the Crimson Moon in Wilmington on June 24, 2025. This public event, preceded by a Pride Month Proclamation Signing hosted by Mayor John Carney and the City of Wilmington, celebrates the City's ongoing commitment to equality, inclusion, and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Sacramento, California – As California enters the final days of Pride Month, a resolution honoring LGBTQ+ equality has triggered sharp debate—not between parties, but within the very communities it was meant to celebrate.
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a gay Republican representing San Diego, criticized a Pride Month resolution authored by Democrats, calling it “inflammatory” and politically divisive. DeMaio, one of the few openly gay Republicans in public office, said he attempted to work across the aisle to strike language he believed to be partisan, but fellow assemblymembers rejected the proposed amendments.
The resolution, introduced by Assemblymember Chris Ward, acknowledged California’s longstanding support for LGBTQ+ rights and condemned a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country. The document specifically criticized efforts to block access to gender-affirming health care, limit participation of transgender youth in sports, ban books, and restrict identity recognition for transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) individuals.
DeMaio objected to that language, saying it waded into controversial policy positions rather than celebrating shared values of dignity and inclusion. He argued that, with minor changes, he could have secured unanimous Republican support for the resolution—something he called a historic opportunity to show bipartisan unity during Pride Month. Instead, the measure passed on party lines, with DeMaio voting no.
Tensions surfaced publicly on the Assembly floor, where DeMaio’s speech was repeatedly interrupted—ironically, by Democratic Speaker Pro Tempore Josh Lowenthal making birthday announcements. The moment underscored just how fraught LGBTQ+ politics have become, even in a state long viewed as a stronghold for equality.
The resolution’s supporters maintain that its contents are necessary in the face of a national backlash. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across U.S. legislatures in 2024 alone, many targeting transgender youth and their families. California has consistently positioned itself as a refuge—most recently clashing with federal policy over access for transgender athletes in girls’ sports and gender-affirming care.
Still, the political fragmentation on display is striking, especially in a year that marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage. In what should be a moment of celebration, the rhetoric around LGBTQ+ identity—especially trans rights—has become a new fault line.
While Pride parades will fill the streets of cities like San Francisco and New York this weekend, the debate in Sacramento is a sobering reminder: progress, even when codified, is not permanent. And unity—even among those who’ve historically fought on the same side—remains elusive.
