1996
It was an election year and politics were on many people’s minds. In presidential politics, many members of the community still supported Bill Clinton, despite his failure to deliver on his ’92 campaign promise to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military and despite signing the Defense of Marriage act into law. The Monica Lewinsky scandal wouldn’t break for another two years and he would go on to win re-election with the support of many people within the LGBT community.
Many of the parade contingents and festival exhibitors were from political groups or represented particular candidates. All encouraged people to rock the vote and to vote for candidates and legislation which benefited the community. At the rally, politics was the main topic of discussion, which went with the “Spotlight on Freedom” theme for Pride ’96.
The politically charged atmosphere, together with some big-name celebrities, would help make 1996 the biggest Pride ever.
80,000 of Our Closest Friends
The Pride parade was led by two Grand Marshals in ’96. Former Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Urvashi Vaid, who had written a book titled, Virtual Equality: the Mainstreaming of the Lesbian and Gay Movement, was one Grand Marshal.
The second Grand Marshal was Wilson Cruz, who was best known for his portrayal of openly gay Enrique Vasquez on the ABC series “My So-Called Life.” Although the show was canceled by the network, Cruz’s depiction of the all-too-familiar trials and tribulations surrounding coming out to friends and family endeared him to the gay community.
The rally again took place in front of the Center on Friday night. Grand Marshals Vaid and Cruz both gave speeches and the event was emceed by lesbian comedienne Kate Clinton. The biggest draw to the rally that year was keynote speaker Chastity Bono, who had recently become a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign. Bono had come out in an issue of the Advocate the previous year, and together with Vaid and Cruz, helped attract a sizeable crowd to the rally.
Between the star power of Cruz, Vaid, and Bono, and the growing popularity of San Diego Pride’s festival site and parade, 1996 was the biggest year for Pride to date. More than 80,000 people attended the parade that year, according to police estimates. The Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated that approximately 20 percent of those were out-of-town guests. This represented a huge influx of cash to San Diego Pride and San Diego businesses.
Youth Pride
By 1996, homosexuality had gained wide acceptance among the heterosexual community, particularly among the 24-and-under age group. This age group had spent their formative college, high school and even middle school years exposed to television shows and movies which had begun to portray gays and lesbians as three-dimensional characters, not just stereotypes. At the same time, this new generation felt a disconnect with the older members of the community.
To this end, the San Diego Lesbian and Gay Pride Youth Committee was established in February of 1996 in order to create a place at the Pride table for youth who were, among other things, taking back the word “queer.” The youth Pride committee even adopted its own theme, “Proud of Our Future.” They participated in the parade with their own Youth Pride float, had a hangout space at the festival, and presented an award to Wilson Cruz at the rally on Friday night.
To Infinity… and Beyond?
Pride 1996 was a huge success. Things were running smoothly and it appeared that nothing short of a serial killer on the loose would be able to throw a wrench in Pride’s smooth-running machine.