Rural Pride Summit Biggest Yet, Says USDA

Visalia's #RuralPride Summit, the fourteenth in the program, was the biggest yet, according to USDA representatives.  With about 250 attendees, the event drew participants from the Central Valley, Bakersfield, Fresno, and as far away as Tacoma, Washington.  The program's first summit was held in Greensboro, North Carolina in June of 2014.  Previous events have focused on the south and Midwest.

This summit was the first in California, the nation's breadbasket.  Attendees were told it only made sense to hold the event in Visalia, since Tulare County is consistently #1 in agricultural production in the United States.  Tulare County also has high rates of poverty and unemployment, and addressing those issues is a mission of the USDA.  This event helps bring into focus the often unrecognized and unmet needs of the LGBT community.

Bringing together local, state, and federal agencies, the summit also hosted a wide range of non-profit organizations who tabled in the hallways of the Visalia Convention Center.

Just some of the organizations who set up tables: theSOURCE LGBT+ Center,  PFLAG Tulare-Kings Counties, Visalia Pride Lions, the Trevor Project, Turning Point, My LGBT Plus, and Tulare and Kings Counties Suicide Prevention Task Force. There were many others, as well.  Two hallways were packed with groups providing information to attendees.

Panel discussions and breakout sessions covered immigration issues, access to health care, transgender youth (and adult) programs, homelessness, access to services, discrimination law, coming out to family and friends, and local stories about being LGBTQ in Tulare County.

By the end of the day, connections were made, needs assessed, friendships formed and renewed, and information disseminated.  Attendees will continue their work to make the Central Valley, Tulare County, and Visalia a better place for everyone to live.

Many thanks to USDA, NCLR, and the True Colors Fund for bringing this important event to Visalia.  The LGBTQ community appreciates the attention and effort involved, and we look forward to continuing to work towards equality and access for all the populations of this region.