The Los Angeles Times reports:
Outside City Hall, a string of balloons hovered in the muggy June air. They were red, yellow, green, purple and blue.
The rainbow theme was fitting: On Friday, Los Angeles officials launched the city’s first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month, which will include an art exhibit at City Hall and events in conjunction with the annual Gay Pride celebration next weekend.
For years, Los Angeles has honored other groups — African Americans, Latinos, Asian Pacific Islanders — with monthlong education campaigns.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl said the designation of June as LGBT Heritage Month is important because gay people, like other minorities, “have an identity that needs to be clearly appreciated.” In 2005, Rosendahl was the first openly gay candidate to run for and be elected to the City Council.
He was beaming Friday as he stood during the council meeting with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and other officials, to honor several lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Angelenos.
For nearly two hours, Rosendahl and his colleagues talked about gay rights, gay representation on the council, AIDS and much more, occasionally sharing personal stories that drew laughter — and at times surprise — from an audience that included many LGBT rights activists.
On his radio show today, Dennis Prager said: “By unbelievable coincidence, all of the Los Angeles months celebrating heritage are of Democratic communities. Africa-American. Latino. Asian Pacific-Islander month.”
“What do we celebrate in the transgender?”
“Why do we need a month to celebrate transgender and transsexual? Because it’s a vote.”
“Why don’t we celebrate Mormons? Cuban-Americans? I’m amazed they don’t have a Jewish heritage month.”
“Those who’ve experienced evil [such as communism] overwhelmingly vote Republican.”
“I don’t think we should have any of these heritage months. I don’t we should have anything that demands in our textbooks that x number of pages be given to women, to this group. All pages in all textbooks should be given over to only one question — what of significance happened?”
