KSBW. “It can be so infuriating and really scary all at the same time.”Some of the speakers at the flag-raising said it was important to show that members of the college community aren’t afraid of the vandals and will stand strong together.“Very frankly, I was told, ‘Oh, Steve, you’re not going to run openly gay are you?
You haven’t been here long enough. You’re not going to get elected.’ Well, guess what? I’m here,” Cabrillo College trustee Steve Trujillo said. “We need to show the community we are not intimidated by haters.
We are not intimidated by hatred. We believe in love. Love always wins.”Madeline Ciara Aliah, a 16-year-old transgender student who attends high school in Santa Cruz, attended the ceremony with her mother, who also spoke at the ceremony.“My immediate thought was, ‘Oh another one,’ because there are bills in Texas and there’s flags burning all over.
All sorts of stuff going on all over, and it’s quite overwhelming for something to happen so locally,” Aliah told KSBW. As the ceremony was ending Aliah read aloud a poem she had written the day before. “I bless you and I’m praying for you.