The modern Gay Pride movement will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2009. The riots at the Stonewall Inn, in New York City, on June 28, 1969 marked the beginning of the modern gay pride movement. These riots were the spark, or “Tipping Point” which inspired Gay Pride movements in many cities around the country, including San Diego

With this important upcoming milestone in LGBT history, San Diego Pride’s Board of Directors commissioned a history project to chronicle the local Pride movement in the post-Stonewall era.

Where to Begin?

One of the first things we learned was that there was that there was a great deal of confusion and disagreement about the beginnings of the San Diego Pride movement. Some people claimed that the first Pride event took place in 1975, while others said that the first Pride was in 1974.

That there was a march and a rally in 1975 is incontrovertible, but it wasn’t the beginning of the San Diego Pride movement. In 1974 there was a march from downtown, and a “Gay Pride Celebration” at the Center on June 29. Yet there were still earlier Pride events in 1973, sponsored by the Center, and in 1971, and 1970, sponsored by the Gay Liberation Front.

Perhaps before something can be examined, it must be defined. The question then is obviously: What is Pride?

What is Pride?

Is Pride the non-profit organization which produces the event each year? That can’t be possible, because the current organization we know as “San Diego LGBT Pride” was only founded in 1989. Prior events were put together over the years by a variety of different organizations and ad hoc committees.

Is Pride the event we attend every year? Some people confuse Pride with the event which celebrates Pride. Over the years, the San Diego Pride event has grown to be one of the largest in the country and it consists of three main parts, a rally, parade, and two-day festival. However, the event that we take for granted these days has changed so dramatically over the years as to be virtually unrecognizable to a time-traveler from the ‘70s.

The Pride event that exists today wasn’t created out of whole cloth, with a rally, parade, and a festival. It grew bit by bit from humble origins. The only thing that all aspects of the Pride movement have had in common is visibility.

Visibility lies at the heart of the Pride movement. From the beginning, every event, protest, and celebration was out in the open, in full view of the public, with the purpose of reminding society that we existed, and that we were everywhere. Visibility is the one thing that all Pride events have in common..

Start at the Beginning...

It is important to recognize the significance of the 1975 march, but we also recognize that it wasn’t the first Pride event in San Diego. There was a march in 1974, and there were Gay-Ins and other events as early as 1970 and to not recognize them and the risk that the people were taking by being out in public, is to do them a great disservice.

This project will cover the entire breadth of the Pride movement in San Diego. From the first Gay-In at Presidio Park in 1970 to today. "Faces In Pride" will look at some of the people who have played an important role in the history of San Diego Pride, while "Moments In Pride" will examine the events that took place each year.

Work In Progress

You may have noticed that some links are not active yet. This is because this website is a work in progress. There are some video interviews which still need to be scheduled and others which have been taped but still need to be edited, rendered, and uploaded. Also, there are plans to interview some people not yet listed. So be sure to come back and visit us as new interviews and new spotlights are added.

Moments In Pride