What pride means to me: WeHo Mayor Jeffrey Prang

Who is Jeffrey Prang?
Jeffrey Prang has served on West Hollywood’s City Council since 1997 and has served as mayor 3 times since 2000. He’s long been an advocate for gay civil rights and for his community. This weekend Los Angeles celebrates “LA Pride” which takes place completely within the city of West Hollywood.

What does pride mean to you?
I look at Pride from my perspective as an elected official, a community activist, and as someone deeply engaged in the gay civil rights movement. Pride represents historically the beginning of the modern gay civil rights movement: the Stonewall rebellion from which pride emanated. It reflects that our community is working to overcome discrimination, intolerance and oppression while celebrating the new openness that is becoming more and more available to people in our community. Thirty years ago most people were in the closet, today kids are coming out in High School. Pride is a time to celebrate our achievements over the years and to recommit ourselves to the struggle that remains before us. This year we celebrate the California Supreme Court decision to validate our relationships, but at the same time we have to prepare to dig in for the assault against those newly earned rights.

What are you doing for pride this year?
I will be riding on a float in the parade, attending the festival and getting out and mixing it up with all the people coming to West Hollywood for Pride. And it was at pride in the year in 2003 that I met my partner, so it’s our anniversary.

Anything else?
The gay and lesbian community is as diverse as this country and this world. Whatever demographic, different economic strata, whether urban or rural, we represent all political stripes whether liberal or conservative, Pride is opportunity for all of us to come together in a bond of unity and realize that we are called together with a common purpose of living the american dream with full rights and responsibilites and fully included citizens of earth.