FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT
Monica Ghosh, Office of Council Member Ryan Mello, (253) 591-5164

Council Member Ryan Mello Hails Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Ruling
--Tacoma’s Pride Festival Begins July 10 With Flag Raising in Front of Tacoma Municipal Building--

Tacoma, Wash. -- Council Member Ryan Mello, Tacoma’s first openly gay Council Member, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s five to four decision guaranteeing the right to same sex marriage across the country. 

“Today is a day of tremendous celebration and joy which rests on the hard work, persistence and courage of countless individuals across our city and country. I especially wish to extend my gratitude to the gays and lesbians who came out and shared their stories and lives. Their courageous actions dispelled misunderstandings and assumptions, and allowed other Tacomans and Americans to know our lives and why anything other than equal rights was unacceptable. They paved the way for this decision. I also want to offer my gratitude to our allies who stood in front of us, behind us and alongside us all the way.  Their support helped to move this national conversation forward. Let’s celebrate in full today. Tomorrow, we get back to our work of fighting for justice and equality for all of Tacoma’s communities.”

Tacoma has long supported the gay community. It was one of the first cities in Washington to go on the record endorsing the 2012 passage of the state’s marriage equality law and, in 2013, the Advocate recognized Tacoma as being the most gay-friendly city in the country.    

July 10 marks the beginning of this year’s Tacoma’s Pride Festival with the raising of the Pride flag in front of the Tacoma Municipal Building (747 Market St.). The festival consists of a week of events and celebrations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and their contributions to business, civic life, the arts and military service.  All events are open to the public.  

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