Republicans and the Resistance: Orange County's Surprising Political Contradictions

The John Birch Society. The Birthers. Anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-government. Orange County has long served as a launching pad for conservative movements, so many that it's been synonymous with the phenomenon for decades. No less an authority than President Ronald Reagan acknowledged this when he told reporters before the kickoff to his 1984 reelection campaign that Orange County was "where all the good Republicans go to die."

But in tandem with these populist uprisings, there's been resistance.

Explore some of the spaces in Orange County shaped by conservatism and activism. Click on the starred map points to read more in-depth stories.

For every California Coalition for Immigration Reform — which inspired anti-immigrant laws across the United States in the wake of its successful Proposition 187 campaign in California — there's been striking orange pickers looking to form a union. For every Briggs Amendment — a 1978 California ballot initiative that wanted to ban LGBTQ adults from working as public school teachers — there's been groups and individuals fighting for inclusion through organizing and lawsuits. Even now, as school boards across Orange County seek to ban the teaching of critical race theory or ethnic studies in classrooms, students and parents push back through social media campaigns.

The following sites speak to some of the more prominent social activism battles fought in Orange County. There are many, many more, with new movements arising every year as Orange County becomes bluer and bluer.