Once in a while, you get the chance to be part of something truly important.

Sunday, June 28, my daughter and I attended Oakdale’s first Pride event at the Bianchi Community Center as allies to a marginalized community, and I couldn’t have been more pleased by the turnout, the warm reception, and the overall vibe.

Statistically, crimes targeting the LGBTQ+ community consistently account for roughly one in five reported hate crimes, and the risk of violence rises disproportionately for transgender women of color.

According to the 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, conducted by The Trevor Project—a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth—36 percent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the previous year, and, heartbreakingly, 10 percent actually attempted it.

As a woman and a mother, it’s absolutely unacceptable to me that anyone should be vilified simply for being born different.

I’m not a hugger by nature, but I’d happily join the “Free Mom Hugs” movement for members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been abandoned by their own families for something they cannot change.

To me, this is a non-issue that’s been inflated into something it never needed to become, and in the process, far too many people have been hurt.

When I became a mother, all I hoped for was that I was up to the task of raising emotionally intelligent, kind, and compassionate human beings.

I didn’t care about their sexual orientation. I just wanted them to be good eggs.

So, when the opportunity came to show through my actions that I’m an ally, I didn’t hesitate.

And I’m so glad I did.

Because at the end of the day, love is love, laughter is healing, and the human experience is truly, a rainbow of brilliant colors.

Kim Van Meter is a former full-time reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News; she continues to provide a monthly column. She can be reached at kvanmeter@oakdaleleader.com.