To mark their 30th anniversary, the PFLAG chapter of Santa Clarita held a pride celebration and talk with LGBT activist and Olympic diver Greg Louganis.

The chapter’s founders, Peggy and Jeff Stabile, said much has changed since they started as a small group in Santa Clarita in 1988.

“We started with just a few people in our living room,” Peggy Stabile said. “That was a time in which Santa Clarita did not want to acknowledge that there were LGBTQ members of the community.

“It was a little bit frightening,” she said, explaining the AIDS crisis and a lack of LGBT representation in media stirred negativity over being gay. “There was nothing positive ever shown about LGBT individuals.”

Louganis survived that era, a story which the crowd at PFLAG’s Pride ‘18 celebration watched during a screening of the documentary “Back on Board” spotlighting his struggles during the 1980s and 1990s, being discriminated against as a gay athlete and telling the world he was HIV positive.

After the film, the olympic gold medalist answered questions from dozens of LGBT residents and allies from Santa Clarita.

“Coming out, whether it is about a health condition, whether it’s about your sexual identity … it’s always a process. You’re always doing it,” Louganis said. “It really never ends, so you’re always coming out.

He emphasized the importance of speaking up, and not letting LGBTQ voices be lost in the crowd.

“In Santa Clarita, it’s not always thought of as the most progressive area,” the former diver said. “It’s nice to show up to those areas and lend support and lend a voice. I think it’s important that people know and realize that they’re not alone.”

City Councilmember Marsha McLean came to the ceremony to honor Santa Clarita’s PFLAG chapter with a proclamation recognizing their services to the community.

“I’m here today to represent the city council for recognizing an organization that has been in our community for 30 years, providing services to families who may need it,” McLean said.

McLean noted the importance of having resources for families in Santa Clarita.

“The City of Santa Clarita is a family oriented community, and we want to keep it that way,” McLean said. “When families need emotional support, organizations that provide that support deserve recognition.”

Santa Clarita’s PFLAG Chapter hopes to increase outreach to the LGBT community, increasing their social media presence and having events such as Pride ‘18 with both fun and serious aspects.

“It’s good to keep the seriousness of the roots of it because it is something that we’re still struggling for equal rights and protection … but also it’s a celebration because we have accomplished stuff,” said Kelly Ramnarime, who represents PFLAG on social media. “It’s important to not just have it be like a pity party of all the things we don’t have.”

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