This Monday, August 20th, Governor Jerry Brown of California signed the LGBTQ+ tribute in Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, into law as an official state memorial. The memorial. built in 2001, is made up of a grey obelisk stone featuring an eagle and a pink triangle. The memorial has been acknowledged by presidents such as Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama but only this week was it signed into law.
To have the memorial be recognized, Tom Swann Hernandes, the founding chair of veteran organization AMVETS Post 66, started a campaign to bring the memorial to the governor's attention. In a statement, Hernandez said:
"Our perseverance has paid off. California is leading the nation by honuring the heroes, many of whom have had to die in silence because they were forced to conceal their sexual orientation." -SD Gay and Lesbian News
The bill itself was drawn up by Eduardo Garcia, an assembly member, who said it was an honor to "lead on this next step toward equality and inclusion." A previous effort to get the memorial officially honored was vetoed in 2004 by conservative governor and actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A ceremony to celebrate and officially recognize the memorial will be held in November at the site.
h/t: pinknews.com, AP