Friend, although Pride month is wrapping up nationally, here in San Diego, we’re just ramping up. Below you’ll find a plethora of opportunities throughout the month to get involved and show your Pride.
Besides the parades and celebrations, Pride is also a time to focus on justice, as the Spirit of Stonewall reminds us. This month brought more sobering news about restrictions to LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights, but this community has always been about both resources and resiliency, both parades and protest. You can help PFLAG SDC continue to advocate for all particularly now by joining our executive team—see the announcement below.
Happy Pride as we strive for justice for all.
PFLAG SDC marchers Bobbi Harwood and Dana Harwood at the 2019 PRIDE Parade
🏳️🌈 Join Us for the Pride Parade & Festival 🏳️⚧️
PFLAG SDC is planning to have a contingent marching in the Pride Parade on Saturday, July 16, as we have all the years prior to the pandemic. Of course, we can’t do this without you! So that we make sure we have the numbers in order to march, please email if you plan to march with us: admin@pflag.com.
When the parade meeting place is determined, it will be posted on PFLAG SDC’s Facebook page and website. The route is 1.5 miles. If you cannot walk that distance and want to ride, please contact Pride coordinator Mike Minnick: mminnick@pflag.com.
If you’ve never walked in the Pride Parade with PFLAG SDC, you are in for a treat. Besides all the excitement of the event, the crowd goes crazy when PFLAG passes by. Here comes the lecture part – READ THIS BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME! These are suggestions that have stood the test of time:
- Get to the shuttle buses early; there are free shuttles from the old Balboa Naval Hospital located on Park Blvd., across from President’s Way. If you are a procrastinator, now isn’t the time, as the buses back up and you’ll be waiting in line so long that you may miss part of the parade
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Put on lots of sunscreen
- Wear hat/sunglasses
- Bring cell phone to take pix
- Make PFLAG signs and bring them
- Wear as much PFLAG/rainbow clothing and paraphernalia as you own!
Here are a few suggestions for signs: Closets are for Clothes, Focus on Your Own Family, Gay Rights ARE Civil Rights, Homophobia – Now That a Choice, I’m the Pink Sheep of the Family, Love Knows No Gender, What Part of Love Don’t you Understand?, We the People Means All of Us.
Hope to see your decorated selves and signs at the Parade.
We need volunteers to staff our booth at the Pride Festival (July 16 from 11:00am-10:00 pm and July 17 from 11:00 am-9:00 pm). To volunteer, please contact Pride coordinator Mike Minnick: mminnick@pflag.com. Volunteers receive free entry on the day of volunteering. The Festival is located at Balboa Park’s Marston Point, 6th & Laurel in Hillcrest.
To purchase tickets for the Festival if you are not volunteering, www.sdpride.org: $26 1-Day, or $32 2-Day (Online only: Pre-Event), $38 Weekend Pass (Day of or at the Festival Gates), High-school aged youth and younger are FREE at Box Office, Seniors (65+) discounted tickets at Box Office.
July Pride Events
July 9: She Fest, noon-6:00 pm at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest. She Fest is a woman-centered event that celebrates and supports the talents and contributions of women while fostering meaningful connections within the LGBTQ+ and larger San Diego community.
July 11: Pride Week Kick Off Business Mixer, 5:30-7:30 pm at Gossip Grill, 1220 University Ave., Hillcrest. The event is sponsored by the San Diego Equality Business Association. To register: sdpride.org/events/.
July 13: Light up the Cathedral, 7:00-9:00 pm at St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest. This is an event to bring LGBTQ+ Faith Leaders and Faithful together to celebrate faith and resilience. After the service, the Cathedral will be lit in rainbow colors.
July 14, 4:00 pm-July 15, 11:00 pm, Pride Block Party at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest. The event celebrates the culture, history, diversity, and LGBTQ+ community that lives, works, and plays in San Diego’s most colorful and vibrant community. Featured are a diverse lineup of local and international talent, cocktail bar and beer garden, food trucks, go-go dances, a massive Ferris wheel, and a DJ dance party.
July 15: Spirit of Stonewall Rally, 6:00-7:00 pm at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest. The awards recognize individuals who contribute significantly to the LGBTQ+ community through their leadership, activism, and fundraising efforts. These individuals are working hard to preserve our gains and meet the many challenges still facing our community (see article below)
July 15, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Pride Weekend Kickoff BBQ at University Christian Church, 3900 Cleveland Ave., Hillcrest. University Christian Church (UCC) is hosting a Free Pride Community BBQ right after the Spirit of Stonewall Rally. The event will be in the front lawn of UCC church. There will be free food, an affirming message, singing together and celebrating with rainbow communion bread. Free parking in the UCC parking lot for anyone who would like to attend the event. All are Welcome.
July 16: San Diego Front Runners Pride 5K Run & Walk, 8:00 am beginning at the corner of Centre Street and University Ave., Hillcrest. Every year, funds raised at the San Diego Pride 5K generate significant donations for charity partners – San Diego Pride and The LGBT Center’s Youth Housing Project. To register: https://sdpride.org/events/.
July 16: San Diego Pride Parade, begins at 10:00 am at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest. The route is 1.5 miles. This year’s theme is “Justice with Joy,” and the Community Grand Marshal is Trans Youth. The annual San Diego Pride Parade, with all the floats and contingents, is the largest single-day civic event in the region and is among the largest Prides in the United States, attracting over 250,000 cheering supporters of the LGBTQ+ community (see article above)
July 16 beginning at 11:00am until 10 pm and July 17 from 11:00am-9:00 pm, Pride Festival at Balboa Park’s Marston Point, 6th & Laurel in Hillcrest. It’s a great time to be OUT and PROUD, San Diego style! This is the city’s biggest celebration with thousands attending. There are food, community resource, cultural presentations, interactive exhibits, and vendor booths. You can dance to live entertainment from over 100 entertainers at 4 stages. To purchase General Admission tickets (www.sdpride.org, see link above): $26 1-Day, or $32 2-Day (Online only: Pre-Event), $38 Weekend Pass (Day of or at the Festival Gates), High-school aged youth and younger are FREE at Box Office, and Seniors (65+) discounted tickets at Box Office
More About The Spirit of Stonewall
Pride celebrations everywhere trace their heritage to the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City said, “No more!” to police harassment. Known as the Stonewall riots, they were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began that morning. Patrons of the Stonewall, other Greenwich Village lesbian and gay bars, and neighborhood street people fought back when the police became violent. The riots are widely considered the watershed event that transformed the gay liberation movement and the twentieth-century fight for LGBT rights in the United States.
While police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn on the 28th. Tensions between New York City Police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents organized into activist groups demanding the right to live openly regarding their sexual orientation, and without fear of being arrested. The new activist organizations concentrated on confrontational tactics, and within months three newspapers were established to promote rights for gay men and lesbians. In San Diego, the first rally was held in 1975.
(Spot lights vector created by pikisuperstar)
Are You Ready to Extend Your Leadership Skills and Expand Your Volunteerism in the LGBTQ+ Community?
PFLAG San Diego County is seeking a president to join our executive team of 3 and 7 members-at-large to create a positive thriving culture as we further our mission of Support, Education, & Advocacy.
Interested Parties may contact Admin@pflag.com
San Diego Women’s Chorus Louder Than Words 🎶
San Diego Women’s Chorus present its annual Pride concert on Thursday, July 14 at 7:00 pm at the Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego, 2633 Denver Street, San Diego. Led by Artistic Director Kathleen Hansen, the chorus will perform an eclectic slate of songs that showcases the diversity, strength, and creativity of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community and its allies—a perfect musical mix to mark the 35th anniversary of SDWC’s founding.
Tickets start at $25 for general admission, $20 for youth, senior, disabled
patrons, and military. Same day tickets will be available at the door,
starting at $30 for general admission and $25 for youth/senior/disabled/military.
PFLAG SDC Book Club 📚
The next selection for the PFLAG SDC Book Club will be the graphic memoir Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe. We’ll meet Thursday, July 28, 7-8:15 p.m on Zoom. Register below.
Gender Queer has the distinction of being the #1 most-banned or challenged book of 2021, according to Book Riot. It’s no coincidence that half of the top ten deal with themes of sexuality and/or LGBTQIA+ identity. Let’s find out what all the fuss is about — join us at the next PFLAG SDC Book Club meeting for a discussion moderated by newsletter editor Louise Julig.
If you buy the book on Amazon, be sure to sign up for Amazon Smile first (see how at the end of the newsletter) so your purchase benefits PFLAG SDC. If you’re more of an indie bookstore person, you can find it on Louise’s Bookshop.org shop (proceeds will benefit Strong-Hearted Native Women’s Coalition as well as indie bookstores) or you can request it at any local bookstore or library. If audiobooks are more your thing, check out the indie-supporting Libro.com.
SD Gay Men’s Chorus Is Rockin’ 🎤
Get on Your Feet – an 80’s Celebration is the theme for the SD Gay Men’s Chorus summer concert: July 30 at 8:00 pm and July 31 at 3:00 pm, Balboa Theatre, 868 4th Avenue, downtown. Songs to include artists Whitney Houston, Journey, Queen, Pet Shop Boys, and Eurythmics, among others. What a great way to wrap up Pride celebrations. For tickets: sdgmc.org.
Out at the Pitch
Join San Diego Pride as they root on the Men’s San Diego Loyal Football Club, aka Soccer. The match takes place on August 6 at 7:00 pm at Torero Stadium, 5998 Alcala Park on USD’s campus. The first 3,000 fans receive a SD Loyal Pride Hat and $5 from every ticket goes back to San Diego Pride. For tickets: sdpride.org/events.
Transyouth Care Symposium 🏳️⚧️
TransFamily Support Services present the 4th Annual TransYouth Care Symposium via a virtual webinar. Dates: Friday, August 5 8:00 am-noon; Saturday, August 6 8:00 am-noon; Sunday, August 14 noon- 4:00pm; Monday, August 15 8:00am-noon.
This is a comprehensive 16-hour training designed for professionals interested in providing sensitive and competent mental health and medical care for gender-diverse children, transgender youth, and young adults. They are happy to be able offer CEUs for mental health providers and nursing. While this training is designed for professionals, parents and others wanting to learn more about gender-diverse youth are welcome to attend. For tickets: transfamilysos.org/services/transyouthcare/.
Congrats To The 2022 Scholarship Recipients
The 2022 PFLAG San Diego County Scholarship Awards Ceremony took place virtually on June 4. We are very proud of this year’s recipients.
Row 1: Anna Mraovic (Qualcomm STEM Scholarship), Ashton Lawson (Mary Wagner Memorial Scholarship), Derrick Herrera (PFLAG SDC Merit Scholarship), Erik Wieboldt (Rob Benzon Memorial Scholarship; Row 2: Kimberly Cantoran (Gary Marcus Scholarship for the Fine & Applied Arts), Isai Coronel (Bill Hanson Community College Scholarship), Jae Engelman (Bill Hanson Community College Scholarship), Jason Cuneo (Dan Ferbal Memorial Scholarship); Row 3: Jessa Ponce (Personal Achievement Scholarship), Joseph-Blue Sun (Personal Achievement Scholarship), Madeline Mack (M. Lynne Austin Memorial Scholarship), Marcella Pellechia (We Believe in You Award), Row 4: Matt Ford (John Bessemer Memorial Scholarship), Noseiba Suleiman (Kendall Family Memorial Scholarship), Rachel Leslie (Olivia & Clive Dorman Merit Scholarship), Shelby Warren (Qualcomm STEM Scholarship); Row 5: Susanne Cervantes (Raytheon RAYPRIDE STEM Scholarship), Victor Albañez (Stephen G. Bowersox Memorial Scholarship).
You can view the ceremony at the link below, using passcode euM*U2ju
Equality California Awards
The Equality California Awards was an evening of who’s who in LGBTQ+ leadership. Although not among the who’s who, Terrie Vorono and Sherry Cohen-Richards attended this joyful event, recognizing contributors and dignitaries who make Equality California successful.
PFLAG National Lawsuit In Texas
The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU of Texas, along with Texas-based law firm Baker Botts LLP, filed a new lawsuit in Texas state court on behalf of PFLAG National and three Texas families. The suit requests that the court block state investigations of PFLAG families in Texas who are supporting their transgender children with medically necessary health care.
The lawsuit names Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who issued a February directive stating that health care that is medically necessary for treating gender dysphoria should be considered a form of child abuse. The suit also names Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Commissioner Jaime Masters and DFPS as defendants. Lambda Legal, ACLU National, and ACLU of Texas filed PFLAG v Abbott, demanding the court block Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) investigations of PFLAG families who are supporting their transgender children with medically necessary health care.
To read these families’ stories is enraging and heartbreaking. Families like the Briggles, whose son Max is transgender. Max’s mom Amber has twice testified before the Texas Legislature against passage of legislation that would harm trans young people. Within 48 hours of Governor Abbott’s directive to DFPS, an investigator came to their home asking intimate, personal, and invasive questions to determine if Amber and her husband had committed “abuse” by following the advice of medical and mental health care professionals and affirming Max’s identity.
La Jolla Art Walk a Success 🎨
Thank you to Terrie Vorono for tabling at First Friday La Jolla Art Walk on June 3. In celebration of Pride Month, La Jolla by the Sea sponsored this event which featured LGBTQ+ organizations. Shout out to the Krista Schumacher Art Gallery, who graciously hosted PFLAG SDC.
Pride by the Beach 🏖
North County LGBTQ celebrated another successful Pride by the Beach sponsored by the North County LGBTQ Resource Center. As usual PFLAG SDC was represented with a booth. Top photo L-R: Remo Ottone, Jeri Nicolas, Annette Ottone. Bottom photo L-R: Heidi Meyer, Ana Huerte, Henry Babcock, Tawn Babcock & Kurt Dearie. Not pictured: Sally Yasukochi.
Out at the Fair
PFLAG SDC staffed a table June 12th for Out at the Fair. Top: Justin Meyer, Henry Babcock, Ana Huerte, Ina Price, Sherry Cohen-Richards; Bottom Left: Justin Meyer, Henry Babcock, Ana Huerte; Bottom Right: Marie and Mike Minnick.
Liz Papineau and Theresa Burke representing PFLAG SDC at Poway Pride!
Want a PFLAG SDC t-shirt just like Liz and Theresa above? It’s a mauve shirt with the PFLAG SDC logo on the back and a heart with the word “family” in different languages on the upper right on the front. They are $10 each, in sizes Small through X-Large. To purchase, please email scohenrichards@pflag.com.
Tiger’s Pictionary With Sister Ida Know
Although the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have been there for PFLAG SDC for years, Sister Ida Know (pictured above), is a big-time supporter. She is currently co-hosting Tiger’s Pictionary. What is that, you ask? It is played like Pictionary, only with several twists. When: every Tuesday evening from 7:30-10:00 pm. Where: #1 Fifth Avenue, 3845 Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest. You may purchase raffle tickets which gives you a chance to win fantastic prizes donated by local community businesses. That is how funds are raised with donations going to worthy groups and organizations in the San Diego LGBTQ+ Community. Over the past 11 years, they have raised over $100,000. Part of the fun is that there are no teams, and when someone correctly guesses a clue, they receive a free ticket for the raffle. It is known as a FUNraiser, with the emphasis on FUN!
🏳️⚧️ Pledge to Take the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey (also includes allies)
Although the survey was to be available in March, it is now scheduled to roll out sometime in the summer. You are still requested to pre-register, which will ensure you are sent the survey as soon as it’s released
The U.S. Trans Survey (USTS) is the largest survey of trans people in the United States. The USTS documents the lives and experiences of trans people in the U.S. and U.S. territories. The request is for all trans people ages 16 and up to complete. It’s inclusive of people of all trans identities, including binary and nonbinary trans identities, and also includes allies of the trans community. It’s no secret that transgender people face discrimination and violence throughout society, from their family growing up, in school, at work, by homeless shelters, by doctors, in emergency rooms, before judges, by landlords, and police officers.
Go to https://www.ustranssurvey.org, use the button below, or look for the link on our Facebook page and website.
😍 Thank You To Our Donors! 😍
Thanks to the following individuals who donated to PFLAG SDC this past month:
Adrianna Jones, Alexander Perdew, Alicia Cunningham,Amanda Haring,Amanda Wilkinson,Angela McCaskey, Angelina Scull, Annalisa Barrett, Annette Wasson, Beth Bellanca, Bridget Borden, Caroline Smith, Charles Kaminski, Cheryl Emery, Christina Tolpa, Cindy McNab, Court Turner, Cynthia Abaunza, Cynthia Pichardo, Daniel Perdew, Eleida Yackel, Erica Montantez, Farrah Cristini, Heather Shadley-Tovar, Jackie Upton, Jennifer Pace, Joel Ofrecio, Jon Moench, Jordan Wilson, Joy Walsh, Julie Christina, Katherine Dunlap, Kelly Conley, Kimi Herrera, Lauren Gist, Lauren Swan, Leander Sico, Manuel Pichardo, Maran Telerman, Maria Gibson, Mary Brown, Nicholas Gardner, Olivia Paskow, Peter Aguero, Robert Harper, Scarlett Smith, Shelly Henbest, Sigal Stark, Tali Collier, Wendy Williams
And thanks to our regular monthly donors to PFLAG San Diego County. A monthly donation helps provide predictable sources of funding for our programs and scholarships and we appreciate it very much!
Anna Covici
Lonnie Brunini
Maureen Steiner
Michael Wasilewski
Support Groups
❗️Note: some support group information has changed since last month
Support groups will continue to meet virtually until further notice. Check individual group for details. We encourage you to contact your support group facilitator at any time, as they will remain excellent resources for information. The support group locations, dates, and times will continue to be posted on the PFLAG San Diego County Facebook page. You can join in any of the digital meetings. For Zoom links, contact each support group.
Do You Shop On Amazon?
If you have an account with Amazon, you can help our chapter every time you shop. Go to smile.Amazon.com and search for PFLAG San Diego County. For every purchase, our chapter will receive .05% of the dollar amount of the order. This may not sound like a lot, but it adds up. So turn your Amazon habit into support for PFLAG!
Our Vision
PFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
Our Mission
By meeting people where they are and collaborating with others, PFLAG realizes its vision through: Support for families, allies and people who are LGBTQ+; Education for ourselves and others about the unique issues and challenges facing people who are LGBTQ+; Advocacy in our communities to change attitudes and create policies and laws that achieve full equality for people who are LGBTQ+.
