Palm Desert Council Member Questions Celebration Of Pride Month At Special Meeting

PALM DESERT, CA — The Palm Desert City Council planned a special meeting Tuesday to discuss Councilman Joe Pradetto's proposal that the city stop recognizing Pride Month.

The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, at 73-510 Fred Waring Drive.

Pradetto's proposal, made at Thursday's City Council meeting, would also have Palm Desert no longer display a Pride banner at City Hall.

"Whom you love is personal liberty, and I believe government must stand strong to protect those liberties. However, I do not believe that government should get in the business of celebrating the private identities of one group over another," Pradetto said at Thursday's meeting.

Many in the city's gay community took a different view.

"The proposal by Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Joe Pradetto, and supported by the mayor, to eliminate the city's official recognition of Pride Month and remove the city's Pride banner is not an effort toward `neutrality;' it is a shortsighted political maneuver that prioritized grandstanding over local representation," a spokesperson for Palm Springs Pride said in a statement Monday.

"The effect of this proposal is clear: it intentionally creates `us and them.' It sends an unequivocal message of rejection to visitors, tourists and residents: You are not welcome in Palm Desert," PS Pride said.

Assemblyman Greg Wallis, R-Rancho Mirage, shared a similar sentiment on Facebook.

"This proposal is a slap in the face to LGBTQ+ residents of Palm Desert and the entire Coachella Valley," he said. "At a time when LGBTQ+ Americans face increasing attacks on their rights and dignity across the nation, our local leaders should be standing up for inclusion, not tearing down symbols of acceptance and equality."

The meeting can be viewed on the city's YouTube channel.