Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Lastra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

A simple email from someone I had never met in a place I had never been changed the trajectory of our organization. Let me explain. In 2023, our organization, Santa Ynez Valley Pride, was hosting our annual Pride Parade & Festival celebrations in Solvang, CA, a small town that prides itself as being the Danish capital of America. As we were gearing up for Pride that year, the Solvang City Council denied a request for rainbow banners in town. The denial was cloaked in procedural excuses, but the bigotry and homophobic comments at those City Council meetings were hard to mask. Copenhagen Pride reached out to us after they had heard about the City Council’s decision. Together, we collaborated with Lord Mayor Sophie Haestorp Anderson of Copenhagen to write an open letter to the Mayor of Solvang. In that letter she wrote, “This opposition to Pride does not reflect the genuine warmth and acceptance of Pride that can be seen across Denmark and especially in Copenhagen…we should come together for love, equality, and human rights, in Copenhagen and in Solvang.”

After that open letter was published, Copenhagen Pride invited us to attend their Pride celebrations that summer in Copenhagen, Denmark. Myself and a few Board members were fortunate to fly out and lead the 6-mile parade that boasted hundreds of thousands of spectators and we had the honor to speak at the festival alongside Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk’s nephew who co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation. We had a private tour of City Hall with the Lord Mayor Anderson where the first same-sex marriage was registered (ever, in the world!) in 1989 and were able to enjoy the Pride festivities in one of the most welcoming cities in the world.

That initial email of support from our friends at Copenhagen Pride was more than just an email, it was a hand extended in solidarity, a warm hug, and a reminder that this work matters. At the end of the day, the City Council of Solvang compromised on allowing banners for a short window of time to be displayed. However, it was never just about the banners, it was about love and visibility and showing up for each other.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Shortly after I moved from Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley (SYV or the Valley), I was connected with a few folks who were looking to host the first ever Pride celebrations in Solvang, CA. As the Valley is small and a bit more conservative leaning, hosting a Pride event was a big deal and something that had never been done before. Alongside a handful of others, we not only hosted the Valley’s first Pride celebrations, but also created Santa Ynez Valley Pride, a registered 501c3, with a mission to create a safe, supportive, and empowering home for the LGBTQ+ community in the Santa Ynez Valley. Now we are gearing up for our 5th annual Pride Parade & Festival this June. Our organization has been a trailblazer for the local LGBTQ+ community.

Personally, I was interested in this work because I knew that our kiddos (6 and 15) were going to school where some of their peers perhaps had never met another family like ours. I wanted to be sure we were creating a space of acceptance and visibility and celebration where everyone felt welcome. A community where our kiddos could proudly talk about their moms at school, where LGBTQ+ folx could feel safe and seen, and where all people could show up exactly as they are.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Shortly after organizing the first ever Pride celebrations in Solvang, CA, two individuals stole pride flags from personal homes and a local church, and filmed themselves burning them. In response, hundreds from the community gathered in support of Pride in an impromptu re-raising of the flag ceremony. It was a beautiful display of what a community built on love, not fear, and respect, not judgement, can look like.

The DA pressed hate crime charges against the two individuals and collaborated with our organization in determining what justice would look like in this particular case. Nearly 18 months later, the defendants were ordered to enter a diversion program which required community service as well as completion of a program organized by the Museum of Tolerance. We had advocated for accountability, education, and repair and felt that their sentencing was a small step towards justice. That even though their hateful acts sought to make queer and trans folks, as well as our allies, feel unsafe, unsupported, and disempowered in their very own community, it did not steal us from our joy, our hope, or our sense of community.

Our resilience comes from digging into our work and holding steadfast to our mission. It comes from staying laser focused on what matters most and rolling up our sleeves to do the work that we believe will bend the moral arc towards justice.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn this idea that one must shrink or contort themselves in some way in order to make others feel more comfortable. Ive learned that we can show up authentically and whole without compromise. I think a part of unlearning this comes from coming out of the closet, time and time again. In these moments, I must choose myself, sometimes at the expense of another’s comfort. It also demands that we not only find ourselves, but our people. Its our people, our community that will carry us through. It’s the re-raising of the pride flag after a hate crime. It’s the email that comes through as a warm hug at just the right time. Its about being both held and free — held by your community, your people, your beloveds, and free to be your most authentic and true self.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.syvpride.org
• Instagram: syv.pride
• Facebook: syv.pride

Image Credits
Deborah Chadsey Photography, Michelle Lauren Photography