In an effort to teach more community members about Long Beach\u2019s rich LGBTQ+ history, a free panel discussion will take place this weekend.<\/p>\n
During the event \u2014 dubbed \u201cLong Beach\u2019s Unknown Queer History\u201d \u2014 the panel will discuss the relationship between the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ community and the Police Department over the years. The discussion will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8,\u00a0at Hamburger Mary\u2019s Long Beach, 330 Pine Ave.<\/p>\n
While Long Beach has now declared itself a safe city for its LGBTQ+ community<\/a>, organizers said that has not always been the case. Organizers said they hope this weekend\u2019s event will share how differently the community was treated in the past \u2014 but also highlight the importance of learning this history.<\/p>\n The panel discussion will mainly focus on a 2016 court case<\/a> in which a Superior Court judge made statements about the Long Beach Police Department\u2019s treatment of gay men in the community, saying in a ruling over a lewd conduct case that the agency intentionally targets gay men.<\/p>\n At the time, then-police Chief Robert Luna said the department was \u201c100% committed to civil rights and equality for all people, including the LGBTQ community.\u201d<\/p>\n The case was historic, Saturday\u2019s event organizers said. Judge Halim Dhanidian ultimately dismissed the case in a pre-trial hearing. That was the first time in Long Beach\u2019s history that a judge had dismissed one of those cases.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s extremely important, especially for the LGBTQ community, because this is our history,\u201d Phillip Zonkel, editor and co-founder of Q Voice News, said about hosting the event. \u201cI don\u2019t think many people are aware. When I mention this to people, they are shocked. That\u2019s one of the reasons why we\u2019re doing the event.\u201d<\/p>\n