What's at stake?
Fresno’s Rainbow Pride Festival will not have their local library participating in their events this year, following a vote Tuesday by the Fresno County Board Of Supervisors.
The vote follows a pattern of behavior by the board to go after the libraries’ participation in LGBTQ-related events and festivities.
In a split 3-2 vote Tuesday, the Fresno County Board Of Supervisors barred the county library from participating in local Pride Month celebrations.
The vote fell along political lines, with the conservative majority, composed of Board Chair Garry Bredefeld, and supervisors Buddy Mendes and Nathan Magsig, voting to reject the library’s participation.
Bredefeld posted on social media last week, inviting constituents who shared his views to show up to Tuesday’s meeting to voice their opinion.
That post set off a social media reaction among more progressive local advocates, who rallied support to try and stop the effort.
At the Tuesday meeting, building security restricted entry into the chambers after the board chambers reached capacity well before the meeting started. There were more than 30 individuals who were barred from entry at the start of the meeting, and more trickled in soon after.
This is a developing story.
