First LGBTQ Summit To Climb Over Obstacles In Santa Clara Co.

CAMPBELL, CA — With pride 50 years of peaks and valleys on the books since that famous Stonewall riot in New York City, Santa Clara County has organized its first LGBTQ Summit for Friday to gather advocates and educators who are tasked with making a valuable impact on the well-being of LGBTQ communities.

The LGBTQ Summit will include a host of panel speakers, presentations and workshops — with opportunities for participants to ask questions and learn about services and resources offered in Santa Clara County.

“Regrettably we have heard the stories of schools not having policies in place to meet the needs of transgender, non-binary and non-conforming students. The office of LGBTQ Affairs has experienced occurrences where transgender and non-binary individuals did not feel welcomed or safe at temporary housing shelters," said Maribel Martinez, director of the LGBTQ Affairs office. "The LGBTQ Summit will assist by bridging the gap between individuals and those who work in any capacity with LGBTQ communities.”

The following dignitaries are expected to attend the all-day summit that starts at 8 a.m. at the Campbell Community Center in the Orchard City Banquet Hall at 1 West Campbell Ave.:

• Dave Cortese, county supervisor
• Jeffrey V. Smith, county Executive
• David Campos, deputy county executive
• Maribel Martinez, director of Office of LGBTQ Affairs
• Ken Yeager, former county supervisor and LGBTQ advocate

The county being one of the most progressive in California has come a long way since the inception of forming the Office of LGBTQ Affairs in 2016. The local government is seen as a leader in pushing for LGBTQ- competent resources, while moving the public system toward equity.

In the past three years, the Office of LGBTQ Affairs has been working coordinated efforts to better serve LGBTQ communities. The office’s staff facilitated several trainings with medical professionals at Valley Medical Center and various County departments. In October 2018, the arm of county government launched the first ever interactive LGBTQ cultural competency program in the nation to promote workplace inclusiveness. All these efforts were spearheaded to address disparities found in results of the 2013 LGBTQ Health Assessment.

As a rainmaker, Santa Clara County advanced itself as a microcosm to the civil rights cause in California — which spanned across the United States through the efforts of the Golden State's now governor.

A few weeks ago, the county launched LGBTQ-focused Pride Month with a rally to recognize the civil rights accomplishments and works in progress and to denounce violence faced by transgender community members.

To unite with the national cause this month, local governments to varying degrees will commemorate Pride Month on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City in which drag queens took their displeasure of police harassment to the streets from the so-named inn that served as a refuge for the LGBTQ community, thus making a historic public disturbance. This uprising sparked the LGBTQ civil rights movement.