My name is Ryka Aoki.

I come to you as one face among many. As one voice among many. 

I come to you representing one sexuality among many—one gender among many. 

I come to you as one person among so many who have found in Santa Monica a community to engage and inhabit with love.

Each of us brings our passion and life to this beloved city, and on this occasion, I am proud to share my words—written and spoken as a novelist, poet, and professor, as well as a queer, trans, woman of color—with you.

WHEREAS 

The breeze from the Pacific cleanses the air for everyone, the call of the waves stirs the hearts of everyone, the glorious sunsets release the moon and stars to jewel the sky high above everyone. 

WHEREAS 

We recognize our profound, everlasting debt to the Gabrielino-Tongva who were the original people of this land, and to their descendants, who to this day display a resilience, patience, and wisdom that humbles us all. 

WHEREAS 

We believe that our best futures come neither by shutting out our neighbors, nor merely by coexisting, but through all of us, in all our myriad cultures and incarnations, helping, trusting, sharing, and living in our shared humanity.

WHEREAS 

We affirm that although LGBTQIA+ people, especially trans people, have been subjected to unwarranted suspicion and discrimination—our LGBTQIA+ communities are as irreplaceable and precious to Santa Monica as the sun and surf themselves.

WHEREAS 

We believe that spotlighting and celebrating our LGBTQIA+ communities through stories, performances, poetry and music and art might vaccinate future generations against senseless discrimination and hate.

WHEREAS 

Our our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + friends and family deserve all the heartfelt recognition and welcomes this city can bestow—not because they are brilliant or beautiful or perfect, but because they are just the way they are.

NOW THEREFORE

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ryka Aoki, a trans, queer, woman of color—as well as a writer, professor, and longtime member our Santa Monica community—on behalf of the Members of the City Council and Mayor Gleam Davis, with pride, and hope, and so much love, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2023 as LGBTQIA+ PRIDE MONTH in the City of Santa Monica and encourage all citizens to join me in this observance.