San Diego honors longtime gay rights activist Nicole Murray Ramirez with honorary street sign
Latino and longtime LGBTQ activist Nicole Murray Ramirez had much to celebrate Saturday.
For one, it was his birthday. He also learned that he would be the next recipient of the Harvey Milk Foundation’s medal of honor for his dedication to social justice.
And then there was a symbolic and emotional dedication in his honor on the corner of Harvey Milk and Centre streets in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood.
It was a newly installed, brown sign mounted atop the Harvey Milk Street sign that read “Honorary Nicole Murray Ramirez Way.”
“I look at it, and of course, I’m very honored, but I hope to see more signs like this,” he said. “I think that it’s important that our city acknowledges diversity. We have so many wonderful people that have devoted their entire lives to social activism, to equality.”
Murray Ramirez has dedicated more than 45 years of his life to social justice for all. His work has largely focused on the Latino and LGBTQ communities. He led early protests during the AIDS crisis in San Diego and pushed the government for help. He was also active during the civil rights movement, working with labor leader Cesar Chavez.
He is known as the honorary mayor of Hillcrest and serves on the city and county human rights commissions.
Murray Ramirez also previously served on the region’s National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the county’s regional task force on AIDS in the 1980s.
The public unveiling of the honorary marker was witnessed by about 100 people, including LGBTQ servicemembers, police officers, politicians and members of faith groups. Among them were state Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego); Bob Lehman, Marine veteran and founder of American Veterans for Equal Rights; and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
“His fearlessness means all of us have a greater degree of freedom that we get to live in our lives. And we owe that to Nicole,” said Gloria, who made history in San Diego as the first out gay mayor and the first mayor of color.
The gathering was organized by San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, whose District 3 includes Hillcrest. He had proposed the designation, which received unanimous City Council approval Nov. 15.
San Diego’s policy on honorary street names went into effect in 2017 and does not change the official names of public streets. Honorary naming is reserved for people or organizations “that have performed an exemplary act or achievement of lasting interest to their community, which reflects positively on the City of San Diego as a whole,” reads the policy.
The designation comes a decade after San Diego changed Blaine Avenue to Harvey Milk Street to recognize Milk, a civil rights activist who was one of the first out gay elected officials in the nation. He was assassinated shortly after taking office on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.
Adding Murray Ramirez’s name in Hillcrest is fitting, said Gloria. The area is the heart of San Diego’s LGBTQ community, where a giant rainbow flag is flown, Pride Parade kicks off and the San Diego LGBT Community Center is based.
“This neighborhood will always be understood to be the home of the LGBTQ community and will always now have Nicole Murray Ramirez’s name atop of the street post,” said Gloria.
Murray Ramirez was thanked by many for his collaborative efforts with LGBTQ organizations championing equality and inclusivity. Among them were Judy and Dennis Shepard, co-founders of the Wyoming-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. Their gay son Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998.
Staring at the honorary sign, Murray Ramirez said the U.S. has come a long way in the fight for civil rights but more is yet to be accomplished. He offered some advice.
“Always be honest and always, when you’re at the table, look at who’s missing at the table,” he said.
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