FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — After a 3-2 vote among Fresno County Supervisors, public libraries cannot recognize or celebrate LGBTQ Pride month and are denied from participating in this year’s Fresno Rainbow Pride Festival.<\/p>\n
“This decision shows we’re going back in time. We’re going back in time where stories didn’t matter, where people were invalidated,” Fresno State student Antonio Quintero said.<\/p>\n
But many in a board meeting on Tuesday were glad to see supervisor Garry Bredefeld lead the motion to deny the libraries’ participation in those Pride Month activities, which passed with support from supervisors Nathan Magsig and Buddy Mendez.<\/p>\n
“The library now, rather than serve all members of the community in an unbiased fashion, has chosen to become advocates and promote a political agenda that many don’t support,” Bredefeld stated.<\/p>\n
Supervisors Luis Chavez and Brian Pacheco opposed Bredefeld’s motion.<\/p>\n
“We’re not just promoting one single group,” Chavez said. “We’re promoting Christian literature and a number of other subjects and I think that’s how it should be because the library should belong to everybody.”<\/p>\n
Before voting, the public was able to comment and Bredefeld brought out a sign reading “No indoctrination of our children.”<\/p>\n
“Libraries don’t indoctrinate, they illuminate,” PFlag Fresno board member Madison Nield said.<\/p>\n
“When an LGBTQ youth walks into a Fresno County library and sees a Pride display, it’s not about politics. It’s a lifeline,” Casita Feliz founder\/CEO, Diana Feliz Oliva explained. “It tells them you are seen.”<\/p>\n
Many stood by Bredefeld’s claims that the library is indoctrinating children with LGBTQ ideology.<\/p>\n
“These items stray into inappropriate and unwelcome advocacy,” Clovis mayor pro tem Diane Pearce stated.<\/p>\n
“Do you want to make something for Christian month or something else? We need to stop dividing. We need to stop doing special things for one group,” one man said in public comment.<\/p>\n
Sally Gomez with the Fresno County Public Library says it has months to recognize Arab-American heritage, Autism acceptance, Caribbean-American heritage, celiac awareness, disability pride, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome awareness, Hispanic heritage, Irish-American heritage, Jewish-American heritage, LGBTQ Pride, mental illness awareness, national library card sign-up, national pet, national poetry, and Parkinson’s awareness along with celebrations for Passover and Christmas.<\/p>\n
Bredefeld was also concerned with certain LGBTQ books in the library, but Tuesday’s decision does not limit or ban pride-related books themselves, and the supervisors said there is no plan to do so.<\/p>\n
The libraries can still put up a display of library books the way they choose.<\/p>\n
Editor’s note: ABC30 is a co-sponsor of the Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade & Festival.<\/p>\n
For news and weather updates, follow Tiffany Olin on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>. Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n
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