🌈❤️Con Orgullo

Dear Pride Family,

We, as queer people, don’t always have spaces where we can be authentically LGBTQ-selves and hold on to our cultural identities at the same time. The homophobia and transphobia we might feel in our own families or cultural communities, or the racism and xenophobia we can face in our own LGBTQ communities can leave those of us with intersectional identities feeling like we never get to be our full selves. We don’t always feel like we belong.

One of Pride’s many influential leaders over our history, Larry T. Baza, of Latin and Chamorro heritage worked to change that.

One of the big changes Larry helped to bring was greater attention to diversity and inclusion, particularly around the arts and culture represented at Pride. His early work, along with many others helped to add a multicultural presence to the annual Pride Festival which today hosts three culturally distinct stages for the Asian Pacific Islander, Latin, and Black LGBTQ communities.

Those stages have helped to grow, resource areas, and new programs that now have Pride events all their own that we either produce or partner with. Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off next week, and our Latine Coalition has a truly special celebration in store for us!

Latine Pride, themed ‘Florecer’, is its third year and has moved from June to September! We hope you’re all ready for a day full of LGBTQ Latin DJs, drag queens, dancing, food, vendors, special guest appearances, and so much more! 

To thrive in joy, to flourish, is to “Florecer.” Latine Pride is not just a celebration, but a testament to the resilience and vitality of the LGBTQ Latine community. Spaces like this, where we can be loved, safe, and seen as our one-hundred percent queer and one-hundred percent Latin selves are rare. As our organization’s first Mexican-American executive director, I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to be a part of the team that is bringing this all together.

LGBTQ Latines have always been at the forefront of crucial social movements. Latine Pride gives us the space to celebrate the prosperity, power, and progress’ that Hispanic folks in the diaspora have been tirelessly fighting for all along. It helps us all envision a world where we how we live, who we love, or what defines our traditions, all of us deserve to Thrive!

Con Orgullo/With Pride,
Fernando Z. López
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Executive Director
San Diego Pride

P.S. Latine Pride is FREE to attend, but not free to produce. Consider making a donation today to support intersectional arts and culture programming like Latine Pride!