Oceanside will fly the rainbow flag at City Hall for the first time in June to recognize Pride month after a parade of emotional speakers led to the City Council’s 3-2 decision Wednesday.
Some people said the Pride flag is a symbol of unity, love, safety and acceptance. Others called the banner divisive and said it represents special interest groups, pedophilia and the sexual grooming of school-age children.
The comments contributed to an atmosphere that more than one person said is all too common in recent years. In response, the City Council majority said it’s more important than ever to display the Pride flag to show that everyone is accepted in Oceanside.
“I’m doing this out of love,” said Mayor Esther Sanchez, adding that she has a relative who came out as gay after high school. He revealed to her that he had been afraid to tell his family, but probably had known since he was 6 years old.
“It really does hurt me when people are unkind,” Sanchez said. “I do look to the day when we don’t need the rainbow flag. Right now, we need it.”
Councilmembers Peter Weiss and Rick Robinson voted against the motion, which directed staffers to prepare a resolution and bring it to the City Council for approval, which can take weeks.
Weiss said he would not support the idea unless the city first creates a policy for the display of all commemorative flags, because people will want to recognize other causes, groups or occasions such as Black History Month.
Robinson said he opposes discrimination of any kind, and that the city should only fly the United States, California, city and POW/MIA flags.
“People can fly the Pride flag at their home,” Robinson said.
Oceanside spends thousands of dollars each year hosting the annual Pride at the Beach festival and that demonstrates the city’s support of the LGBTQ community, he said.
More than 30 people spoke to the council before its decision. Their opinions varied widely, even from church pastors.
“I completely do not want the flag,” said Adam Riojas, an Oceanside native and former state prison inmate who started a church called At The Cross in January 2014.
“The Bible says there are only two genders, Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” Riojas said, adding that homosexuality is immoral and condemned by God.
Pastor Jenell Coker of the Oceanside Sanctuary church offered a different view. She apologized to people in the chambers for some of the things being said and urged the City Council to approve the flag’s display.
“We need to show as a city that we are a safe place,” Coker said. “These U.S. flags (that people brought to the council chambers) are being used to say we are not a safe place for certain people. I ask you to choose kindness over the hate that you see tonight.”
Susan Custer, a former Oceanside planning commissioner, said only the American flag represents everybody.
“I’m wondering why we need another flag,” Custer said. “This is a private matter, not a public matter.”
Some of the speakers were from outside the city, including Audra Morgan. She often identifies herself as “Allegedly Audra” and comments at San Diego County Board of Supervisors and San Diego Association of Governments meetings.
Her remarks frequently include profanity and wild accusations of crimes and conspiracies, and she once was forced to the floor and handcuffed by sheriff’s deputies for being disruptive at a Board of Supervisors meeting.
“I am a victim of a pedophile,” Morgan said in Oceanside. “I don’t feel safe when I see that flag. We are glorifying pedophilia. People are protecting the predators instead of the victims.”
Shouts disrupted Wednesday’s meeting at times, and at one point Sanchez declared a five-minute recess to regain order.
Councilmember Eric Joyce backed the flag proposal and said it was time for the city to show its support for the LGBTQ community.
“Raising the Pride flag is something our community has been asking for for many, many, many years,” Joyce said. “At this time, it couldn’t be more important. People in our community are being targeted, and it’s important to say we support all members of our community.”
Sanchez initially proposed erecting a separate pole for the Pride flag at a cost of about $17,000. In response to objections to the expense, she said the Pride flag could be flown beneath the city flag on the same pole.
Pride flag displays have proved controversial in several cities, school districts and other agencies across San Diego County in recent years.
The Carlsbad City Council voted 3-2 in 2023 to display the flag at its City Hall, after several lively meetings and a demonstration on the Civic Center plaza by LGBTQ advocates.
Encinitas was the first city in San Diego County to display the LGBTQ flag for Pride Month in June 2019. The city of San Diego has been hoisting the banner since June 2021.
