Repainted Hermosa Beach lifeguard tower a symbol of welcome
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”2393″ display=”masonry”]Story and photos by Nadia Bidarian For the first time in the city’s history, Hermosa Beach recognized Pride Month in an all-day celebration on Saturday. South Bay LGBTQ residents marched from Bottle Inn at 22nd Street to a newly painted rainbow lifeguard tower at 13th Street. Hermosa resident Izzy Bacallao, 18, who identifies as nonbinary, spearheaded the effort to repaint the tower. “The idea came to Izzy, as I understand it, after the pride tower in Long Beach was burned to the ground in an incredible act of hate,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said at the tower’s unveiling. “Izzy said, ‘Why don’t we respond to that act of hate with an act of love?’” Hahn was instrumental in getting county approval to repaint the lifeguard tower. The celebration would not have been possible without the help of the South Bay chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), according to Bacallao. Two PFLAG meetings take place every month. One meeting is for general support, and the second meeting is for transgender individuals. After the lifeguard tower unveiling, the celebration continued at Java Man and The Deck. “In our queer…
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