FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — With unanimous approval from Fresno County supervisors on Tuesday, the departments of behavioral and public health can spend money to participate in this year’s Fresno Rainbow Pride Festival.<\/p>\n
The behavioral health department is set to provide information on mental health, suicide prevention and other services found at the agency.<\/p>\n
“39-41% of LGBT teenagers contemplate suicide, and so it’s important to link them with those services,” Supervisor Luis Chavez said.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Fresno County Board of Supervisors votes to block Pride Month activities at local libraries<\/a><\/p>\n “I think that’s an appropriate use of your resources in your department and for that reason, I fully support that,” Supervisor Garry Bredefeld added.<\/p>\n The public health department says the information handed out at the festival will be focused on the trends it’s seeing in the county, including a growing number of HIV and syphilis infections.<\/p>\n “When we evaluate the data, this is a population we need to be communicating with, and we need to have a good relationship with this population as well,” Fresno County Public Health director Joe Prado stated.<\/p>\n “I do see a role for public health to be at this event as well as many events, disseminating important medical and clinical information to a wide variety of populations,” Bredefeld said.<\/p>\n At last year’s pride festival, the health department handed out custom rainbow-wrapped condoms, personal lubricant, stylized fans, and pamphlets, which, according to Bredefeld, totaled $6,000 in taxpayer money.<\/p>\n “Which I didn’t see as a role of public health, and I thought it was a complete waste of taxpayer money,” Bredefeld stated.<\/p>\n But many thought it was a cost-effective way to prevent the spread of STDs.<\/p>\n That controversy led to the supervisors’ decision to require each county department to get board approval for celebrations and recognitions, as well as sponsor events like the vote on Tuesday.<\/p>\n This decision comes just a week after the supervisors denied the county’s public libraries permission to attend the event.<\/p>\n However, last week’s vote encompassed the libraries’ ability to spend money on celebrating pride within their facilities and participating in the festival.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the departments were seeking only approval to spend money on participating in the festival itself.<\/p>\n For news and weather updates, follow Tiffany Olin on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n