San Diego, CA

San Diego boasts an array of prideful sports teams

Published

2 years ago

July 13, 2024

San Diego boasts an array of prideful sports teams

Queer Soccer San Diego organizes pick-up games for adults of all skill levels. (Photo courtesy Queer Soccer San Diego)

Historically, contemporary sport teams have existed solely in binary terms. With only cisgender female or cisgender male athletic teams primarily offered, those existing outside the gender binary — such as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer persons for example — can feel excluded from participating.

Despite many recreational and professional teams around the country still existing in a binary framework, San Diego is home to numerous LGBTQ+ sports leagues that focus on queer visibility and inclusion in athletic spaces, as well as community building, according to San Diego Pride.

These teams range in sport greatly — from cheerleading, softball, swim, surfing, and climbing, to rollerblading, skiing, dodgeball, and basketball.

lezbhonestboatteam — Since 2015, Lezbhonest boat racing team has been a place for AAPI LGBTQ+ people to connect and compete. (Photo courtesy Lezbhonest Facebook)

Multicultural dragon boat racing team “Lezbhonest Dragon Boat Team” was created in 2015 said Founder and Captain Dina Somsamouth. Dragon boats, which are large canoe-like vessels, sit crews up to 16. The boats are carved with ornate dragon heads and tails. While sitting in pairs, the team members paddle to compete in races. Each boat additionally includes a drummer who maintains a beat to keep paddlers in time and unison.

“This team was created to break the barriers between the Asian community and the LGBTQ,” Somsamouth explained. “Being an openly queer team [creates] a sense of belonging that we can be a part of something. It provides an empowering space for women from diverse backgrounds to come together, celebrate their cultures, and showcase their strength and resilience. This representation is vital in promoting gender and cultural equality in sports.”

This year the team will march in San Diego’s Pride Festival, said Somsamouth. They will additionally hold a fundraiser on July 14 from 3-6 p.m. at Gossip Grill, located at 1220 University Ave.

San Diego’s oldest LGBTQ+ recreational group, Front Runners & Walkers, hosts the Pride 5k, an important fundraising event that occurs before the Pride Parade since 2002. This year’s 5k will be on Saturday, July 20 at 8 a.m. The team has met beneath the tree on 6th Avenue and Laurel Street since 1981.

Also on the city’s LGBTQ+ sports roster is SAGA San Diego, an LGBT Snowsports club. Established in 1979, the team offers three annual ski trips that coincide with gay ski week events for “greater opportunities for experiences with the broader gay community,” said their website.

And while many teams meet on the snow and water such as the historic Different Strokes swim team founded in 1985, others like Queer Soccer San Diego stick to the turf. Their goal is to “foster community by creating a gender-diverse queer social space for players and spectators.”

San Diego’s most popular LGBTQ+ sport is softball. With nearly 40 teams and 600 players, it is also San Diego’s largest softball league.

Online community health and well-being platform Community Commons explained that inclusive spaces are pivotal to the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals — which often promote empowerment and advocacy. The platform relatedly stated that visibility in queer spaces helps challenge stereotypes and broaden LGBTQ+ acceptance.

A complete list of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ sports teams can be found at sdpride.org/sports/.

Flashback

different strokes 1988

Different Strokes demonstrated their swimming form on the pavement in the 1988 Pride Parade. (Photo courtesy Lambda Archives)

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San Diego, CA

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

Published

3 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

29

Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

5/5–6/1

Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.

12–24

The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.

5/15–6/14

A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.

5/22–2/2027

Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

4/30–5/3

Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

2

Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.

7

Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.

15–17

Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.

PARTNER CONTENT

10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started

Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…

16

Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.

24

Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.

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San Diego, CA

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Published

16 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

Located on 17^th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.

“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.

Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.

“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.

Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.

But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.

“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.

In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”

Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.

However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.

“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.

Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.

He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.

“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.

The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.

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