The City of Santa Ana is inviting the public to come to City Hall for their annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 9:15 a.m. in front of Santa Ana City Hall, 20 Civic Center Plaza.
A past City Council resolution mandated that the Pride Flag to be raised on Harvey Milk Day (May 22) and to continue flying through the end of LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June 30.)
Harvey Milk’s ground breaking election in 1977 as one of the world’s first openly gay elected officials-and its most visible one- symbolized the freedom to live life with authenticity to millions of LGBT women and men around the world. Harvey served less than a year in public office before he was brutally assassinated, but his life profoundly changed a city, state, nation and a global community, according to the Harvey Milk Foundation.
Harvey Milk was assassinated by Dan White, a former city supervisor, who was angry about losing his job and his perceived lack of political power. White’s anger was further fueled by disagreements with Milk and Mayor George Moscone, particularly Milk’s vote in favor of a group home placement within White’s district, according to Wikipedia.
White, a former San Francisco police officer and firefighter, was serving as a city district supervisor in San Francisco, up until assassinating Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk on November 27, 1978. At his trial, psychiatrist Martin Blinder testified that White had been depressed at the time of the crime, and pointed to several behavioral changes indicating White’s depression: he had quit his job; he shunned his wife; and although normally clean-cut, he had become slovenly in appearance. Furthermore, White had previously been a fitness fanatic and health food advocate, but had begun consuming junk food and sugar-laden soft drinks like Coca-Cola and Twinkies. The defense successfully convinced the jury that White’s capacity for rational thought had been diminished; the jurors found White incapable of the premeditation required for a murder conviction, and instead convicted him of voluntary manslaughter, according to Wikipedia.
While specific, up-to-date data on the percentage of the population in Santa Ana, CA that identifies as LGBTQ+ is not readily available through a quick search, here’s what Google Gemini CA was able to infer and some helpful context:
General Estimates for Larger Areas:
- Data from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law in March 2021 estimated that 5.1% of adults in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area identify as LGBTQ+. Santa Ana is part of this larger metropolitan statistical area.
- Another study mentioned approximately 90,000 LGBTQ+ individuals reside in Orange County as a whole. With a total population of over 3 million, this would suggest a percentage in the range of 3%.
Santa Ana Specific Information:
- Santa Ana is recognized as having a growing and thriving LGBTQ+ community.
- The city is noted for its welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.
- The LGBTQ Center of Orange County has its main location in Santa Ana and serves over 20,000 individuals annually across a diverse spectrum. This indicates a significant presence and active community within the city.
- Santa Ana hosts Orange County Pride events, further highlighting the visibility and importance of the LGBTQ+ community in the city.
- While there isn’t a specific “gayborhood,” areas like the Artist’s Village and Downtown Santa Ana are considered popular and welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.
- A local poll indicated that 57% of respondents believe LGBTQ+ residents are generally treated well in Santa Ana, though some still experience a lack of acceptance.
Conclusion:
While a precise percentage for Santa Ana is not available in the immediate search results, it’s reasonable to assume, based on the data from the broader Los Angeles metropolitan area and the active LGBTQ+ community and resources within Santa Ana, that the percentage is likely within the 3% to 6% range. It’s important to remember that these are estimates and the actual number could be higher or lower.
Keep in mind that self-identification is a complex and evolving aspect of demographics, and precise figures can be challenging to obtain at the city level. However, the available information clearly indicates a significant and active LGBTQ+ population in Santa Ana.
