SAN DIEGO — A crowd of students, parents and San Diego Unified members gathered outside district headquarters Thursday to raise the Pride progress flag, kicking off the beginning of Pride month.
Some students were bused in for the annual ceremony.
"It celebrates the fact our district understands LGBTQ+ youth and it’s really affirming us," said Jody Huege, a high school junior. "It celebrates our history and how far we’ve come and how much we can still do."
Several speakers, including some very young students, shared their stories of being LGBTQIA+ youth.
The flag was raised around 10:45 a.m.
On May 30, the Board of Education voted in favor of a resolution to declare June 2023 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
The school district says this is about inclusion, it's about showing everyone within the district this is a diverse, accepting place.
"It’s so positive," said Jennifer Huege, Jody's mother. "I feel so grateful to be living in a place that does embrace him. Because it matters. We see it at home, we see the difference, when he’s accepted, how he feels. You can’t imagine being in another place where he would be rejected just for being who he is."