When Pride in San Diego first started, the march ended with a rally. As the march and rally grew, our community utilized that opportunity to organize, to provide information and resources, and to eventually add music and entertainment. From those brave beginnings, the Pride Festival now boasts over 50 LGBTQ-serving organizations, over 100 artists across four stages, and 40,000 attendees.
This year at Pride we are honored to have with us diverse and gifted artists whose significance transcends their talent and offers a deeply meaningful message to our community: Headliners TLC, who were early supporters of the LGBTQ community, gave a voice and financial support to those living with HIV and AIDS; JoJo, who credits the LGBTQ community with literally saving her life, has used her platform to highlight suicide prevention resources like the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline; LE1F, who is a queer black rapper and producer, has worked to directly confront the homophobia that exists within the genre; Kim Petras, who is a breakout trans artist, uses her voice to discuss the importance of supporting trans youth; Paris, a local artist and icon, inspires our community daily to live life authentically open as a form of protest; Graciela Beltran, is a Mexican singer who has championed anti-bullying efforts.
These are just a few examples of the talent we have in store for you this year. I hope you will take the time to learn more about our LGBTQ artists and come to enjoy their music at Pride. For many of us, Pride is the one time a year that we have to love and dance in the daylight, and I am so proud of our team for working diligently to ensure that the diversity on our stages reflects back to us all the diversity in our community.
Happy National Pride Month!
Persist with Pride,
Fernando Z. López
Executive Director
San Diego Pride
Fernando Lopez was the Executive Director of San Diego Pride. Lopez’s years of LGBT advocacy, nonprofit management, public education, diversity consulting, media relations, guest lectures, and organizing have made them a consistent presence ensuring the struggles of the LGBT community are ever visible.
