Contra Costa Supervisor Carlson marks 1st Pride Month

by Matthew S. Bajko

Aweek into June and it already has been a busy month for gay Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson, the first out member of the countywide governing body. At the start of Pride Month last Thursday, he raised the Progress Pride flag at the County Administration Building in Martinez and also attended that day the city of Concord’s Pride flag raising ceremony.

Sunday he rode in his first Pride event as the representative of the board’s District 4 seat, which he was elected to last November. Joining him in the Clayton Pride Parade was his husband, Jeremy Carlson, wearing a matching black T-shirt declaring in rainbow-colored text “Love is Love.”

“It was a little overwhelming,” Carlson, 60, told the Bay Area Reporter about taking part in the town’s second annual LGBTQ celebration. “For Clayton being a small community, the turnout was great.”

Earlier this year he had issued a proclamation for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District’s Pride Prom held in April. This week, he attended the Pride flag raising at the Phillips 66 facility in Rodeo on Tuesday.

Next Tuesday, June 13, Carlson will lead the supervisors’ Pride Month Presentation honoring a number of groups for their support of the East Bay county’s LGBTQIA+ community. Among them are health care workers, the RYSE Center for youth in the city of Richmond, and the Royal Grand Ducal Council of Alameda/Contra Costa County.

The LGBTQ philanthropic organization in 2009 had crowned Carlson as its Royal Grand Duke XVIII Ken St. Michael and his husband as the Royal Grand Duchess XVII Vivian Lee St. Mi- chael. Due to Carlson having served as a Concord police sergeant, they chose St. Michael for their titles because he is the patron saint of police officers. Also being honored is the Rainbow Community Center, the LGBTQ center in Concord on whose board Carlson had served on as president.

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