San Diego, CA
On its 50th anniversary, San Diego Pride is looking back and ahead
Nobody knows for sure what day it happened, how long it lasted and how many people took part. But sometime in 1974 — most likely around the fifth anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City in late June — a group of gay men and lesbians marched down the sidewalks of downtown San Diego to call for gay rights.
Fifty years later, San Diego Pride has grown into one of the largest LGBTQ celebrations in America. Over the years, the annual protest marches and political rallies of the 1970s and ’80s transitioned into celebratory Pride parades and jubilant and inclusive outdoor festivals.
Today, more than 250,000 people, including thousands who travel here from all over the United States, attend San Diego’s Pride festivities, which this year culminate next weekend with the San Diego Pride Parade in Hillcrest and the San Diego Pride Festival in Balboa Park.
For those who haven’t studied the history of the Pride movement in America, San Diego Pride events today seem like merely a festive celebration of self-identity. But for those who have lived the experience, Pride is also about freedom, equality and the ongoing fight to experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without government and religious intervention.
For this article we spoke to the leader and archivist for Lambda Archives of San Diego, which since 1987 has collected, preserved and shared the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in San Diego and Imperial counties and Northern Baja California. We also heard from two longtime San Diegans who shared their Pride memories with us for this story.
First we hear from Lambda Archives Managing Director Nicole Verdes and Archivist Dana Wiegand, who talked about the 50-year history of Pride in San Diego. Their comments have been slightly edited for clarity.
Q: Fifty years ago, San Diego was now as a small Navy town. How did it compare to other U.S. cities in its treatment of LGBTQ people in the 1970s?
Dana Wiegand: San Diego was equally as conservative, especially as a Navy town. The (people) faced the same struggles as in any other city in America. We do see that a lot of these communities formed in cities that served as ports for the military. Also, a lot of the change-making activists who were in the military would travel to other community hotspots and speak to the activists there for inspiration on how to build that community in San Diego.
Q: Before Stonewall and the first Pride marches, what was public life line for members of the LGBTQ community in San Diego?
Nicole Verdes: Prior to the first Pride marches, lives were lived in fear and secrecy. Bars and clubs were among the safe spaces to celebrate and be with lovers, but those safe spaces were often subjected to frequent police raids. If they were dancing or sitting too close together, they were targeted. Raids resulted in arrests and public exposure. There were significant consequences for their jobs and families.
Also there have been strict cross-dressing ordinances prohibiting dressing against gender norms, like butch lesbians who dressed more masculine. In San Diego, that ordinance was municipal code 56.19. It became law in 1966. You couldn’t appear in a public place in apparel customarily worn by the opposite sex. It wasn’t repealed until 1997. The cross-dressing ban in National City didn’t get repealed until 2020. A local activist and member of the LGBT community, Coyote Moon, found out by accident the law was still on the books and she stepped up to work with elected officials.
Q: The first city-approved and widely-covered San Diego Pride march took place in 1975. But the first, informal march happened in 1974. What can you tell me about it?
Wiegand: The actual participants in the first march in 1974 is hard to pin down. There were only a few periodicals at the time and they were organized by ad hoc committees. But we know that the first permitted march in 1975 had 400 people.
Even before San Diego had their permitted Pride marches, we had Gay-Ins. Nobody could get a permit. There were too many barriers and the people in charge weren’t allowed to let gay people march in the streets. In 1971, ’72 and ’73, they’d gather for community picnics. Before 1975, when the police chief wrote a permit, the community couldn’t march in the streets so they had to march on the sidewalks. Getting a permit to get a Pride march was a complicated process into the 1980s.
Q: What kind of public response did early Pride marchers encounter in San Diego and how has it changed over the years?
Verdes: In the earlier marches, some people wore paper bags over their heads to protect their identity.
They’d have opposition people showing up to antagonize them verbally. In 1994, a previous mayor of San Diego organized a group of protestors called The Normal People. They wanted to march (in the Pride parade) in political opposition to the homosexual agenda. Former Mayor Hedgecock said their exclusion (from the parade) violated the city’s Human Dignity Ordinance.
In 1999, the theme for Pride was “celebrate the past and create the future.” A tear gas bomb was thrown into the crowd at 10th and University aimed at the Family Matters contingent. It was chaos.
You have people who show up on the sidelines who are Fundamentalists carrying signs like “Fags burn in hell.” That still happens today. You have more organized targeted incidents. San Diego Pride takes very seriously the safety of the people marching in the parade. The antagonistic aspects of it never goes away.
Q: Can you tell me about Lambda Archives and its work?
Verdes: Initially Lambda was started by Jess Jessop, who was a nurse medic in the Vietnam War. He organized the Gay Liberation Front at SDSU and was very active in the 1980s when he pivoted toward AIDS and the lack of government response.
He took the initiative to collect materials to preserve our history. A lot of people who had AIDS, their families would clean out their houses and throw away all of their personal effects. So he jumped into circumvent that and he collected photos, protest signs and other items.
We were entirely volunteer-led until we got our nonprofit status in 1987. We’ve grown to three full-time employees and two part-time employees.
Dana is digitizing the collection. We have year-round youth programs and oral history and scholarship programs that donate funding to queer students at community colleges and trade schools. We have also grown with an intentional focus on our collection of information on queer and trans communities of color.
Weigand: We have collections made up of thousands and thousands of documents, photos, textiles, books, memorabilia and ephemera, which are items not meant to be saved like buttons, pins and flyers. They’re objects our community views as part of our collective history. I want to develop more widely accessible digital archives.
Verdes: Our mission is to collect and preserve and share the LGBTQ heritage for San Diego and Imperial Valley. But the work we do here extends beyond that.
A couple of years ago, we were contacted by a playwright in Britain who learned about the Blood Sisters (a group of women from San Diego’s Democratic Party caucus who organized blood drives for AIDS patients, since gay men were banned from giving blood). We connected her with the original force behind the Blood Sisters.
Our collecting scope is local, but the work we do here can expand to places you wouldn’t think of.
Pride memories from two San Diegans
We asked U-T readers to share their memories of what Pride means to them. Here are two of the mini-essays that were submitted.
Dana Harwood, Mission Hills
When I reflect on “What Pride Means to Me” I always think about my mom’s incredible love and support.
I came out to my mom, Bobbi Harwood, over 30 years ago and although at first she was shocked, confused and worried, she soon found PFLAG (support group for friends and family of the LGBTQ community). She began attending meetings and talking to people who helped her learn about the diverse and incredible LGBTQ community in San Diego.
The following year, my mom marched in her first San Diego Pride parade with PFLAG, carrying a colorful sign she made that proudly stated “I LOVE MY LESBIAN DAUGHTER”. She later served as the president of the San Diego chapter of PFLAG and in 2006 she was named Pride Friend of the Year and was honored during the parade and festival.
My mom and I marched in the San Diego Pride Parade for over 25 years. The day of the Pride parade became her favorite day of the year. Although my mom hasn’t marched in the parade for a few years now, her love for me and her support of the LGBTQ community is as strong as ever.
Patric Stillman, Hillcrest
Pride, for me, is a profound celebration of identity, resilience and community.
Coming out is a deeply personal journey, marked by moments of self-discovery and courage. It’s a process that, while intensely individual, is also immensely communal. This duality highlights the core of Pride: the embrace of one’s true self and the collective strength found in a supportive community.
Over time, my understanding of Pride has evolved. Initially, it was about asserting my identity in the face of societal expectations. Today, it has grown into a broader vision of acceptance and equality. The positive impact of love has been transformative, fostering greater empathy and understanding. In the face of hate, bigotry and ignorance, our community stands as a beacon of hope and solidarity. It is within this community that we find the strength to persist and the love to thrive.
As Americans, we are endowed with the right to pursue happiness — a right that is fundamental and should be universally respected. Pride embodies this pursuit, advocating for the recognition and respect of our happiness, our love and our identities. It is a reminder that our quest for happiness is valid and that it deserves to be valued by everyone.
Thought the years, Pride has always been about joy and celebration. There is something profoundly political in our ability to dance with those awe love, to celebrate our lives openly and without fear. Dancing together, we embody the spirit of what we call LGBTQ+ Pride — defiant, joyous and unapologetically ourselves.
Stillman’s The Studio Door art gallery is presenting its 7th “PROUD+” exhibition through Aug. 3 at 3865 Fourth Ave., San Diego. thestudiodoor.com
San Diego Pride Parade & Festival
Parade: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Begins at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at 1500 University Ave. and travels west on University, south on Sixth Avenue, left on Balboa Drive and ends at Laurel Street.
Festival: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and July 21 in Balboa Park at Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street. Tickets are $38 for a two-day pass. Order online at sdpride.org/event/san-diego-pride-festival
For a full schedule of Pride events, visit https://sdpride.org/events/
Originally Published:
ARLINGTON, Texas — Padres players from time to time wear T-shirts with a cartoon Jurickson Profar on the front doing his base hit celebration.
The cartoon Profar is smiling, and his arms are raised with his elbows bent and down to form the top of a heart over his head. On the front of his jersey is the word, “RELEVANT.”
The shirts were made in response to the poetically ill-timed response in a postgame interview by Dodgers catcher Will Smith in April.
In the fifth inning of the middle game of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium, Profar took exception to an inside pitch from Gavin Stone and let Smith know he was not pleased. The benches cleared, though nothing more than a little shouting and a lot of standing around happened.
After the Dodgers’ victory that night, as Profar was acknowledging he had been wrong to think Stone was throwing at him because he had squared to bunt, in that the pitcher had a perfect game at the time, Smith was saying this to the Dodgers’ flagship radio station:
“I don’t know why we would have thrown at him. He’s kind of irrelevant.”
The next night, Profar’s bases-loaded double in the seventh inning drove in the deciding runs in a 6-3 Padres victory.
Profar has always downplayed the incident, and there was no apparent ill will when the Padres and Dodgers played in May in San Diego.
Now, the two players are on the same team in the All-Star game.
They had not talked as of early Monday.
“It doesn’t matter,” Profar said. “It’s going to be OK. He’s another baseball player. He’s not the enemy. I have seen enemies in front of me before. Really, really enemies in Curacao. Will Smith is a baseball player.”
Profar felt Smith did not mean what he said to be as disrespectful as it sounded. He also agreed that perhaps at the time, he could be viewed as irrelevant, in that he hit .236 for the Rockies in 2023.
Smith said Monday he didn’t really even mean to include Profar.
“That had nothing to do with it,” Smith said of Profar’s accomplishments as a player. “It was the situation only. My bad. It was nothing personal. … He’s fiery, plays hard. He’s a competitor. In competition, the best and worst comes out of us. He’s a competitor and a good player.”
Profar seemed most perturbed that some seem to think it was Smith who got him going on his way to what is so far the best of his 11 seasons in the major leagues.
“People say it was him that lit a fire,” Profar said. “It wasn’t him.”
Profar has talked many times over the past few months about his love for the game and for the Padres and his desire to keep playing and prove he could be the player he has always felt he could be.
Profar arrived at spring training having signed a $1 million contract and knowing he was replaceable.
“With my contract,” he said Monday of his thoughts at the time, “obviously they are going to get someone (else) to play the outfield.”
Profar pretty much had it nailed. Signing Tommy Pham or making a trade for an outfielder was very much in play at the time. But the Padres decided during Profar’s strong spring that they could hold off on a move and focus their resources on acquiring pitcher Dylan Cease.
The reality, however, is the Padres signed the 31-year-old because they thought he believed in him as a leader and thought he would be useful enough in the outfield and at the plate. In no way did anyone believe he would be hitting .305 with an .870 OPS, be tied for the team lead with 14 home runs and starting in left field for the NL in Tuesday’s All-Star game.
“No,” Profar said with a hearty laugh. “Because they didn’t pay to believe.”
Profar has earned earned $300,000 in playing time incentives and is seven plate appearances from adding another $200,000. That would leave another $1 million that could be earned if he were to reach 600 plate appearances.
“I worked hard,” he said. “The hard work is paying off.”
Originally Published:
Here are some of the best things to do this week in San Diego, from Monday, July 15 to Friday, July 19.
Check back Wednesday for our guide to things to do this weekend.
Monday
Summer Organ Festival: The Spreckels Organ Society’s summer series continues with free Monday night concerts at 7:30 p.m. through Sept. 2. Next up on Monday: Organist Clara Gerdes. 2125 Pan American E. Road, Balboa Park, San Diego. Full schedule at spreckelsorgan.org/summer-organ-festival
Shark Summer at Birch Aquarium: For the month of July, the Birch Aquarium invites guests to celebrate “Shark Summer” and participate in activities that teach about these creatures that reside in our local waters. Shark feedings, kelp forest dives and meetings with shark specialists are just a few activities guests can experience at the museum to immerse themselves in the world of sharks. Guests are also welcome to explore other exhibits throughout the museum to learn about other neighboring ocean wildlife. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. General admission is $29.95, additional discounts available online and in-person. aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/shark-summer
J1 Karaoke Night in Pacific Beach: Singers can take the stage at Union Kitchen and Tap Pacific Beac for J1 Karaoke night. With over 100 people attending this Monday night, karaoke singers will face off in a competition to be crowned as the “Best Karaoke Singer of the Night.” As a prize, the winner will be rewarded with a $100 bar tab to use at the next event. 10 p.m. Monday. 832 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Early bird tickets are $7.18. eventbrite.com/e/j1-karaoke-night-union-pb-prizes-for-best-singers-tickets-940565836737?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Tuesday
Twilight in the Park: The free summer concert season at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion continues with three mid-week concerts at 6:30 p.m., through Aug. 29. Next week, Ana “La Gitana” Group belly dancing on Tuesday; Pomerado Community Band on Wednesday; 3 Car Garage on Thursday. Balboa Park, San Diego. Schedule at balboapark.org/twilight-concerts
“Henry 6”: The Old Globe presents the world premiere of Barry Edelstein’s two-play adaptation of William Shakespeare’s three “Henry VI” history plays, which tell the story of England’s War of the Roses. “Part One: Flowers and France” and “Part Two: Riot and Reckoning” are playing in rotating repertory through Sept. 15. All performances at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $35-$116. (619) 234-5623, theoldglobe.org
Pacific Beach Tuesday’s Farmers Market: On Tuesdays, local farmers and small businesses gather in Pacific Beach for an outdoor market event to sell their own unique selections of groceries. Customers can find fresh produce, meats, cheeses, flowers, dips and spreads directly from the hands that made them. Alongside 14 certified farm vendors, San Diego-based vendors are encouraged to apply online to be selected to join the weekly grocery market. 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays. 901 Hornblend St., San Diego. Free entry. pacificbeachmarket.com
Trivia Tuesdays at Belmont Park: In collaboration with Sunset Trivia, Draft House in Belmont Park is hosting its weekly trivia night with an extended happy hour. Participating guests of the evening will test their trivia knowledge to compete for first, second and third place. At the end of the night, the trivia winners will receive restaurant gift card prizes to use at their next Draft House visit. 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. 3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego. Free. sdtoday.6amcity.com/events#/details/trivia-tuesdays-at-draft-at-belmont-park/10972440/2024-07-16T18
Wednesday
‘In Blue Time’ to debut at the Timken Museum: “In Blue Time,” a large-scale wall drawing created over the past month at the Timken Museum of Art by artist-in-residence Tatiana Ortiz-Rubio, will open Wednesday in Balboa Park. The drawing was inspired by the Timken’s 1557 painting “Parable of the Sower” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Derrick Cartwright, the Timken’s director of curatorial affairs, will discuss the work with Ortiz-Rubio at a preview event from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday. Tickets to the discussion are $15. The “In Blue Time” piece will be on display from Wednesday through Sept. 29. 1500 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. Free. timkenmuseum.org
Pride interfaith service: St. Paul’s Cathedral in Bankers Hill will be the location for a special Pride interfaith service. Dean Penny Bridges and LGBTQ+ faith leaders will lead the service. Afterward, the cathedral will be illuminated in rainbow colors. The event is free and open to the public. 7 p.m. July 17. 2728 Sixth Ave., San Diego. sdpride.org/lightup
Dog Haus Celebrates National Hot Dog Day: By becoming a Haus member, visitors can claim a free hot dog at Dog Haus Biergarten in honor of National Hot Dog Day. Customers will have a variety of six gourmet hot dogs to choose from, each made with Creekstone Farms natural premium black angus beef and a King’s Hawaiian bun. The promotion does not require an in-store purchase but is limited to one hot dog per person. 8:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday. 227 E Broadway, Vista. Free. vista.doghaus.com
“Tick, tick … BOOM!”: Cygnet Theatre presents Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical about a young theater composer’s anxiety over not being a big success by age 30. 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 4. 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town San Diego. $30 and up. (619) 337-1525, cygnettheatre.com
Line dancing on Lapper Lawn: Thursday, find a free line dancing lesson at Lapper Sports Bar and Kitchen in Mission Valley. Learn how to move to classic country songs out on the lawn with the help of a DJ instructor. Food and drink specials will also be available for purchase off the dance floor which will all include free parking with validation. 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego. Free. towncountry.com/dine/lapper
Light up the Cathedral for Pride: St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral will be the place to watch a spectacle of rainbow lights decorating the church. Dean Penny Bridges, LGBTQ+ faith leaders and allied faith leaders will join together to celebrate faith and pride with an interfaith pride service. The hour-long service will include music from the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus and San Diego Women’s Chorus, speeches from LGBTQ+ Faith leaders, and a presetation of the Light of Pride Award. Guests can watch the rainbow light display outside of the church and enter the Fellowship Hall where dessert will be served. 7 p.m. Wednesday. 2728 Sixth Ave., San Diego. Free. sdpride.org/lightup/
Thursday
“The Color Purple”: New Village Arts presents the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about Celie, an indomitable Southern Black woman in early 1900s Georgia. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through July 22. 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $33 and up. (760) 433-3245, newvillagearts.org
21+ Night at WNDR Museum: Adult guests are invited to venture through different interactive art displays at the WNDR Museum for a 21+ night event. For extended hours, visitors can experience each installation to this month’s local DJ performance with DJ Mike Merrell. Bigfoot Corndogs will also be providing food and drinks available for purchase in the WNDR Lounge. All visitors must have a valid ID for entry and museum doors close at 9 p.m. 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday. 422 Market St., San Diego. General admission is $25. wndrmuseum.com/event/21-night-at-wndr-san-diego-july/
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”: Lamb’s Players Theatre presents William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s audience-interactive comedy musical about five awkward adolescent contestants at a regional spelling bee. 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 18. Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $38-$92. (619) 437-6000, lambsplayers.org
Friday
Spirit of Stonewall Rally: The Spirit of Stonewall Rally is an event that acknowledges those who contribute to the LGBTQ+ community through leadership, fundraising efforts and activism. The event will also have guest speakers and the raising of the Pride flag. The first Spirit of Stonewall Rally in San Diego was held in 1975. 6 to 7 p.m. July 19. 1500 University Ave., San Diego. sdpride.org/rally-2024
Southwestern Summer Shakespeare Festival returns:Southwestern College Theatre Arts Department presents its second summer Shakespeare festival with two alternating productions running July 19 through Aug. 4. This year’s plays are “Romeo y Julieta,” a bilingual version of “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Much Ado About Nothing” set at Southwestern College in the 1990s. “Romeo” will play at 7 p.m. July 19, July 27 and Aug. 2; and at 2 p.m. July 20, July 28 and Aug. 3. “Much Ado” plays at 7 p.m. July 26, Aug. 3 and 4; and at 2 p.m. July 21 and 27 and Aug. 4. 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista. $10. https://www.swctheatre.com/
Originally Published:
Re “Cost of gasoline in California is likely to soar” (July 5): When will Sacramento and Washington legislators wake up to the fact that the number of gasoline cars on our roads is decreasing every day? The old gas excise tax model is no longer fair or just as the only source of funds to pay for road repairs or building roads. The advent of EVs and bicycle lanes has changed the landscape forever.
Yes, “Californians pay the highest gas prices and endure some of the worst roads”! It is time to create a new tax system that taxes all of our road users fairly. All classes of vehicles, cars and trucks (gas, hybrid, electric, propane, etc.) and bikes (human-powered, electric and gas) should pay a new tax or fee based on road use. The more you are on the road, the more you will pay.
All bikes should be licensed for use on our roads, especially rental bikes. $100 a bike may help with road maintenance.
— Vince Loughney Sr., Oceanside
Originally Published:
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