Welcome to the 38th annual San Diego Pride. The San Diego LGBT community is excited to celebrate all that we have accomplished in our pursuit of equality in the last year, and to just have a fantastic party weekend.
While the focus is often on the parade, festival, bar events, circuit and pool parties, Pride is so much more. It is an opportunity to take stock in what our civil rights movement is all about. Prides were created to let the broader population know that “we are here.”
Unlike other minority and ethnic groups, many in the LGBT community are invisible to their co-workers, friends and even family. What Prides do is make us visible; visible not only to the greater community, but also visible to ourselves.
Pride allows us to see the diversity of the San Diego LGBT community. Whether it is members of the leather community, our bisexual and transgender compatriots, military veterans or our LGBT elders, our diversity is on display; warts and all.
Take a few moments to think about the pioneers who have made it possible for you to walk hand-in-hand in Hillcrest, or to wear chaps, a wedding dress, go-go shorts or a mu-mu at the parade.
Pride is a time to remember how far our community has come. Gone are the days when our bars and restaurants had blacked-out windows or hidden patios due to fear of violence. Today, we can proudly support LGBT establishments that are equivalent and sometimes better than their straight counterparts.
San Diego is also proud to be the first community in the nation to have a Harvey Milk Street. Yes, our community has really made progress in the last 38 years in San Diego.
So, go out and have a great time. Enjoy what is quintessentially San Diego; fabulous weather, beautiful beaches, good restaurants and one of the best outdoor communities in the nation.
Celebrate and be proud. Kiss your partner on the street, show off that circuit-party-ready body, protest marriage inequality, and help get out the vote, or simply have drinks with friends. However you decide to celebrate, just make sure you make your community proud.
Finally, the key to Pride is supporting those that support you. Support businesses, political candidates and organizations that are supportive of your equality. Vote at the ballot box and with your pocketbook. Doing anything else is simply a shame. Isn’t that the opposite of Pride?
STAMPP CORBIN
PUBLISHER
San Diego LGBT Weekly
