Harvey Milk Coachella Valley Diversity Breakfast honors two Latino LGBTQ leaders
Two Latino leaders within the LGBTQ community were honored at Thursday's Harvey Milk Coachella Valley Diversity Breakfast in Palm Springs.
City of San Diego commissioner, Nicole Murray Ramirez, received the Harvey B. Milk Legacy Award. Ramirez has dedicated more than 45 years of his life to social justice for all. From leading protests during the AIDS crisis to leading the civil rights movement with Cesar Chavez.
"I always feel like god's blessed me to see the emergence and the diversity and the growing of both communities I love the Latino and the LGBT community," said Ramirez. "A hate crime against one of our communities is a hate crime to all of us."
While California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara received the Harvey B. Milk Award. He made history in 2018 by becoming the first openly gay person elected to statewide office in California.
"Now more than ever, is not only important that we organize, but that we celebrate our authentic selves," said Lara. "We're a thriving community, we're a community that is all about love and acceptance. And we're gonna use those tools to fight against hate like we always have."
Both leaders putting their faith in the next generation of LGBTQ leaders.
"Just seeing how bold they are, how unapologetic they are about who they are, their authentic selves," said Lara.
The event took place at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast is a program of the Palm Springs Pride organization.
The breakfast honors the memory of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, and his legacy of groundbreaking inspiration in the struggle to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality.
The event is designed to strengthen coalitions among the many diverse community organizations that work toward equality in the Coachella Valley.
Proceeds from the event benefit Coachella Valley youth through Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and LGBTQ+ youth-related programs.
