“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” — Marsha P. Johnson

LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated primarily in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Drag queens Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were among those involved in the confrontation. What began as a one-day celebration has evolved over time into a month-long series of events that include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, and concerts.

As I reflect on LGBTQ+ Pride in ACSA, I think back 10 years to March 2016 when my spouse, Steven Bailey, Region 13 Executive Director Dr. Rich Malfatti, and I coordinated the first-ever Region 13 LGBTQ+ ACSA administrators and allies’ event in Ventura. Inspired by our friend and colleague, Dr. Julie Vitale, who set the precedent for such an event the year before in her own region, we brought together roughly 40 colleagues with keynotes from Dr. Trudy Arriaga and Howard Fulfrost, finding common ground for advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion in ACSA’s equity efforts. Gratefully we had the support of the director of equity at the time, Nicole Anderson, for our collaborative work.

Shortly after our gathering, Steven established the Region 13 LGBTQ+ Network on its online platform, and it still exists as an ACSA statewide entity today. Later that year at the annual fall ACSA Leadership Summit, a workshop entitled “Diversity Includes LGBT+ Students and Staff” was provided for conference attendees. At this pivotal workshop, Dr. Trudy Arriaga, Steven Bailey, Dr. Rich Underhill, Dr. Julie Vitale, and I were proud to provide a professional learning experience for attendees to help demonstrate the need to not only recognize LGBTQ+ students and staff as marginalized populations in our K-12 schools but to provide suggestions for offering them support.

Since 2016, the presence of LGBTQ+ topics has expanded greatly at ACSA conferences, in publications such as Leadership and EdCal, and on ACSA’s Resource Hub. During this 10-year period, Steven and I provided LGBTQ+ learning experiences at over two dozen events for ACSA, individual school districts, and university classes. A highlight during this last decade was the inaugural ACSA LGBTQ+ Lead With Pride Summit in 2022 lead by Dr. Julie Vitale and former Senior Director of Equity and Diversity Adonai Mack. Steven and I are proud to have served on the conference planning committee for three out of the four years it has taken place. This year’s Lead With Pride Summit takes place in Long Beach on Sept. 30-Oct. 2 coinciding with LGBTQ+ History Month!

While there is much for the LGBTQ+ community to recognize and honor this June, we should all be aware of the negative impacts caused by the current administration and right-wing extremists affecting LGBTQ+ youth and adults across the country, including California. Please also recognize that despite the impressive list of laws and policies supporting and protecting LGBTQ+ youth and adults in California, there appears to be inconsistent implementation or enforcement of our laws supporting LGBTQ+ students based on data from various sources, including the 2023-2025 California Healthy Kids Survey, Equality California’s 2024 Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card, and Trevor Project’s 2025 National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. Nationally, Glisten’s (formerly GLSEN) 2025 National School Climate Survey (just released in April 2026) reflects how LGBTQ+ students are experiencing a more hostile school environment, are feeling less safe at school, and are facing harassment in larger numbers.

Looking more specifically at California student data, the 2023-2025 California Healthy Kids Survey includes data collected over a two-year time span incorporating responses from 1.3 million students. When looking at data based on sexual orientation, students in grades 7, 9 and 11 who identify as LGBTQ when compared to their straight peers, experience twice as much harassment, over twice as much chronic sadness, over twice as much emotional distress, are over twice as fearful of violence at school, and considered suicide four times as much. LGBTQ+ students were less optimistic, felt less safe, and felt less connected to school; they also had more trouble focusing on schoolwork.

I am hopeful that LGBTQ+ students may begin to have improved school experiences as AB 5 is implemented. This law requires training for educators interfacing with students in grades 7-12 in California public schools over the next six years. Ideally, our state will also consider mandating training for support staff who interface with students frequently, like office staff, bus drivers, cafeteria staff, paraeducators, and walk-on coaches in the not-too-distant future.

As we look forward to June and recognizing it as Pride Month, please consider the importance of developing inclusive practices for your LGBTQ+ colleagues in your school districts, county offices of education, and professional organizations. Please contemplate the following as you assess your workplace or organizational actions (adapted from Oceanside USD at Lead With Pride 2025):

Please consider the challenges LGBTQ+ staff may face supporting students if they don’t feel supported themselves. Just as with our students, every staff member deserves to feel seen, heard, and respected for being their authentic selves.

Michael Tapia is a retired school administrator and ACSA Ambassador in Region 13.