Oceanside kicks off San Diego County Pride Month with Pride by the Beach

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — Hundreds filled the Civic Center Plaza in Oceanside for Pride by the Beach on Saturday. The event was hosted by the North County LGBTQ Resource Center.

“Without it, I’m sure I’d be hating myself. This is a place of pure love,” said Bree Alaine.

Alaine has been going to Pride events for her entire life, saying it gives the LGBTQ community a space to be themselves.

“I mix and match all genders, all types, who cares? Clothing is just clothing. I get to be myself however I so choose to,” said Alaine.

The event was complete with dozens of advocacy groups, performances, street food and an educational booth walking people through a variety of historic moments in which the LGBTQ community was under attack.

Tyler Peppard, a volunteer who put the booth together, says it feels like “we are going back in time” when it comes to the rights of queer people, pointing to recent attacks like the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs in Nov. 2022.

Others attending the event agree. One man told 10News, “We’re suddenly back 50 years. It wasn’t like this when I was a kid.”

Pride by the Beach is free to the public and “family friendly.”

The 2023 edition of the event marks the 16th-ever Pride by the Beach.

Each weekend in June will feature a different Pride event in San Diego County. A full list can be found here.