A recent report published by Fresnoland highlights a troubling political move by local county leaders, alongside the powerful community response that followed. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors recently passed a 3-2 resolution establishing June as “Nuclear Family Month.” Created by Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, the resolution deliberately excluded LGBTQ+ families in a direct attempt to counter Pride Month.
While certain county officials attempt to redefine what constitutes a legitimate family, local residents, advocates, and organizational leaders are making one thing clear: love, visibility, and community cannot be erased by political grandstanding.
“No Nuclear Family Idea Is Going to Take That Away From Us”
For many LGBTQ+ families in Fresno, creating a home and raising children comes after years of resilience and dedication. Carissa and Sarah Trujillo, who participated in a community portrait session at local business Maarte on the final day of Pride Month, shared their perspective on the board’s decision. After overcoming infertility struggles to welcome their 16-month-old daughter, Carissa emphasized that political decrees hold no power over their reality.
“This is our home, this is a family that we fought really hard to get to,” Carissa Trujillo said. “We were able to do one round of IVF, had one embryo, and that’s our baby. We fought really hard to be here. No nuclear family idea is going to take that away from us.”
Carissa also highlighted the broader social and emotional toll on LGBTQ+ youth who observe local leaders debating their worth, noting that seeing such resolutions targets vulnerable young people who are coming to terms with their identities.
The photo project at Maarte, organized by photographer Kiana Hernandez and business owner Christine Rose, came together rapidly in response to the board’s actions. As Hernandez explained, coming together to document queer families is both an act of survival and a continuation of Pride’s core origins.
“The response from the community is unfortunately out of survival, but at the same time is a reflection that pride is forever, pride is ongoing, pride is not just an event, but a movement that continuously happens,” Hernandez noted. “Because it started from a protest by queer black trans women, and that’s what we continue to reflect through our work.”
Community members who gathered for a related open forum echoed those concerns, warning that government overreach into defining family validity sets a dangerous precedent. Local advocate Alicia Rodriguez pointed out how identity is being targeted:
“What people don’t understand, even his supporters, is that this type of decision is dangerous to everyone when they start deciding what can be in libraries and what is a legitimate family. Identity is becoming weaponized, rights are being stripped away.”
Dr. Katherine Fobear, a professor in the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies department at Fresno State, explained that using rigid family definitions to marginalize specific groups relies on a long-standing tactic.
“This narrative of the nuclear family has been used since the Victorian age of basically casting what family is a good family, what family is a bad family, and what policies can we do to further disenfranchise, separate, and harm what we consider the bad family,” Dr. Fobear explained, describing the board’s rhetoric as “an old playbook.”
Dr. Fobear added that focusing energy on political posturing distracts board members from addressing real issues impacting Fresno children, including food insecurity, high childcare costs, and library funding.
The county resolution reflects a growing divide in local leadership. Robin McGehee, the LGBTQ+ Liaison for the City of Fresno, noted that while the county’s decision sends a harmful message, it must serve as a catalyst for community advocacy.
“What I hope we’re telling our young people is that we don’t just take it, that we speak out when we see things that are harmful,” McGehee stated. “Young people are listening, families that have young people are listening, and we need to be the bellwether to say this is not okay, this is not how you treat other people.”
McGehee contrasted the county board’s history of restrictive actions, such as banning library Pride displays and restricting safe-sex supply distribution, with ongoing city investments in affirming care, including $200,000 recently designated for Casita Feliz to expand mental health counseling and PrEP services.
This latest action by county supervisors serves as a reminder of why local organizing remains vital. Families throughout Fresno are diverse, loving, and strong, and no board declaration changes that reality. LGBTQ Fresno remains committed to standing alongside our community, protecting local youth, and ensuring that every family in our region is recognized, respected, and supported.
