Gavin Newsom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving San Diego Pride scrambling to not let the previously scheduled July 17-19 celebration go by unmarked for the first time since its inception in 1975.Īnd in this time of physical distancing, Zoom Happy Hours and the gradual reopening of retail shops, restaurants and bars that populate the Hillcrest area – what’s an organization like San Diego Pride to do?Ĭertainly, to not acknowledge the treasured yearly happening was not an option.
Sadly, this will not be the case this year as mass gatherings were cancelled by Gov. Last year, $2.5 million was raised, with $340,000 set aside for grants given to 65 LGBTQ-serving organizations, including housing for the Trans community, HIV/AIDS services and youth programs. In recent years, the three-day event – which includes the Spirit of Stonewall Rally, the Pride Parade along University and Sixth avenues, and the Pride Festival in Balboa Park – has drawn upwards of 350,000 revelers, making it the largest civic event in the region and also serving as the cornerstone of Pride’s fundraising endeavors. San Diego Pride has always been a yearly occasion that is a much-anticipated celebration, one that affords a very public presence to express all the diversity that our community represents within the LGBTQ acronym.
