Joint CNRA and CalEPA 2023 Pride Statement

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) have the shared goal of protecting and enhancing our natural resources and fighting climate change. We also share a commitment to creating inclusive and welcoming workplaces, which we believe strengthens our other collective goals. As part of this, for the second year in a row, CalEPA and CNRA are once again celebrating Pride Month together, this time with a series of events including a march, panels, and a staff celebration. This is also a time to reflect on how Pride Month came to be.

This June marks the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City, when police raided the Stonewall Inn after midnight on June 28, 1969, sparking a weeklong riot. Leaders of the uprising, including trans activist Marsha P. Johnson fought against oppressive injustices faced by the LGBTQ2S+ community. The resistance of those at Stonewall and subsequent marches at other locations sparked the modern LGBTQ2S+ civil rights movement and paved the way for celebrating Pride Month every June across the world.

While there has been remarkable progress towards acceptance and equality in recent years, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community continue to grapple with an unacceptable level of discrimination and violence. Transgender and gender non-conforming people are particularly at risk of violence, trauma, and disenfranchisement; especially when those identities also intersect with being Native American, Black, Indigenous, or any person of color.

In the year since we last gathered to celebrate Pride Month, we have seen a mass shooting motivated by anti-queer and anti-trans hatred, fueled by dangerous political rhetoric. We have also seen an alarming increase in efforts targeting LGBTQ2S+ communities across the country. Our LGBTQ2S+ communities are facing an attack on their foundational rights and freedoms as Americans.

Now, more than ever, unity is essential for the safety and well-being of the LGBTQ2S+ community. One way we plan to demonstrate our support is to participate in Pride Month events in our own communities. We encourage you to look up local LGBTQ2S+ centers to learn more. For events our Agencies are hosting we encourage you to visit: resources.ca.gov/pride

CalEPA and CNRA are proud to support our LGBTQ2S+ community’s right to live their lives out loud. We are thankful to our staff who have advocated for and established internal employee resource groups to help create intentional and inclusive workspaces. As we celebrate Pride across our agencies and the state, we must continue to demand equal rights for all to create a California for all. As Marsha P. Johnson said: “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”

Wade Crowfoot (he/him) Secretary for Natural Resources

Yana Garcia (she/her) Secretary for Environmental Protection