Sebastopol Pride March happens this afternoon in downtown
Mayor Stephen Zollman, founder of the Sebastopol Pride March, skipped Sonoma County Pride this year, echoing other activists' concerns about inclusivity and police presence
The second annual Sebastopol Pride March is scheduled for this afternoon, June 3, starting at 5 pm at Many Rivers Books and Tea in downtown Sebastopol. There will be a short march around the corner to City Hall for a city flag raising at 5:30 pm.
The march is the brainchild of Mayor Stephen Zollman, who changed the event from its earlier incarnation as a “Pride Stroll” to a more frankly political occasion.
“I want to emphasize the importance of having this be an annual march, not a stroll, but an actual march, reminiscent of what kicked off gay pride back in 1969,” he said.
Zollman believes that’s particularly important now because of today’s political climate.
“A whole lot has changed with the federal government’s policy and their desire to erase trans and non-binary lives,” he said. “It’s more important than ever, from my perspective individually and as a council member, to take a moment to understand the context in which we live currently under this administration and to honor our history and to continue to look after our marginalized youth, especially BIPOC, trans and non-binary youth.”
The Sebastopol Pride March is especially important to Zollman this year because he stayed home from Sonoma County Pride, the annual gay pride parade which was held in Santa Rosa on Sunday. Some local activist groups had raised concern about the presence of the police in the parade (which some people of color and immigrants say they find threatening).
“I, in my individual capacity and as founder of Sonoma County Queer Electeds and Allies, as well as Sebastopol Pride, did not attend because when I requested its policies on inclusivity and law enforcement presence, I did not hear back,” he said, when asked why he stayed away from SoCo Pride this year.
“The NAACP, the North Bay Organizing Project, and Positive Images also had reasons not to participate,” he said. “One of the members of their [Sonoma County Pride] board wanted to know why, and I said, “Please send your policy on inclusion. Also send your policy on law enforcement presence.” My sense—speaking as an individual—is that recognizing, reading the room, law enforcement in the time of our federal policies, especially around our BIPOC undocumented community…So that’s a long way of saying I did not participate in Santa Rosa Pride.”
He noted that he did attend the Petaluma Pride event.
Zollman emphasized that the Sebastopol Pride March is a private effort of Sebastopol Pride, an organization he created, while the flag raising is actually a city-sponsored event.
He is also inviting march participants (and anyone else) to join him at the Sebastopol City Council meeting at 6 pm this evening to show their support for the city’s council’s annual proclamation proclaiming June 2025 as Pride Month in the City of Sebastopol.
More significant, he has authored a resolution making “Pride” more explicit. The resolution includes the following:
Proclaiming June 2025 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) “Pride Month” throughout the City, reflecting the city’s commitment to inclusivity;
Authorizing the flying of the Pride flag over City Hall during June 2025;
Authorizing use of Pride colors in the City logo and communications during June 2025.
“It might seem like overkill, but as indicated on the agenda report, we do not have an official flag policy, and we have not been able to get to it because of other areas that need to be focused on, so a resolution was needed,” he said.
If you would like to participate in the Sebastopol Pride March, gather at Many Rivers Books and Tea, 130 S. Main St., Sebastopol, this afternoon at 5 pm. After some brief remarks, there will be a short march around the corner to City Hall for a city flag raising at 5:30 pm. Mayor Zollman also invites you to the Sebastopol City Council tonight at 6 pm, at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., for the Pride proclamation and resolution.
From recent events including the incident with Isaac Featherston and the fight against measure P (which 2/3rds of voters wanted) it’s totally fair that folks wouldn’t feel safe at SoCo Pride. Hope Sebastopol Pride goes well!