The 1960s were a terrifying time for the LGBTQ+ community. The medical industry diagnosed homosexuality as a mental illness, and less than a two-hour drive from Santa Barbara, Atascadero State Hospital administered tortured conversion therapy. The gay community was afraid of the police. And there was good reason. Police enforced anti-gay laws, regularly raided gay-serving establishments, and gay communities often resorted to self-policing because they knew the police would not protect them. In fact, the modern Gay Pride movement first began as a result of police abuse.
On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, police initiated yet another raid. But this time, patrons resisted and revolted for four nights. The next year, the first Pride March commemorated the LGBTQ+ activists who fought against oppression and abuse at the hands of police. The Stonewall uprising marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.
Fifty years later, the tumultuous relationships between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community are giving way to changes for the better. In Santa Barbara, the Pacific Pride Foundation and the Restorative Community Network created the Voices program with the Santa Barbara Police Department to bring officers and the LGBTQ+ community together in restorative and informative dialogue.
The Pacific Pride Foundation has long been the county’s advocacy and educational nonprofit for the gay community — throughout the expanding and contemporary definition of “queer” — toiling with many partner organizations to bring a diverse community through the fatal threat of HIV/AIDS to a point of joyous visibility and dignified success. The Voices collaboration with the Restorative Community Network enables a growing ability to address the complex social issues that can harm all of Santa Barbara’s communities.