1998
After the chaos created by the Andrew Cunanan manhunt the year before, Pride settled back into the business of putting on what had become one of the largest Prides in the country. The 100,000+ attendance in 1998 was not just a fluke and in fact the numbers have continued to grow in the years since. Executive Director Mandy Schultz had proven herself to be capable of leading Pride in what would be the most hectic times to date.
Unity Through Diversity
The rally was held on Friday night in front of the Center on Normal Street. It would be the rally’s last time in that location as the Center would move to a new location on Centre Street before the next year’s rally. Comedienne Elvira Kurt emceed the event and the keynote speaker was transgender activist Leslie Feinberg. The Unity Through Diversity theme, and the presence of a transgender woman as the keynote speaker, was an important step for the community.
In 1997 Pride had been criticized for not having a bisexual speaker at the rally and for only adding a transgender speaker at the last minute. The 1998 Pride theme and the transgender keynote speaker were evidence of Pride’s commitment to inclusiveness and a sign that the organization was continuing to change with the times. San Diego Lesbian and Gay Pride, which was once referred to as simply Gay Pride, was on its way towards becoming San Diego LGBT Pride.
The Parade started the next day at noon. The Grand Marshals, still trying to milk their 15 minutes of fame, were Norm Korpi and Beth Anthony from the first and second seasons of MTV’s “The Real World.” Some of the flashiest floats came from local establishments, including Rich’s, Club Montage, and Hairspray. City Councilwoman and former Pride Co-Chair, Christine Kehoe was also present in the parade, campaigning for a failed bid for the United States Congress. Attendance again topped 100,000, proving that the previous year’s jump was not a one-time fluke.
The festival continued to grow with more vendors being attracted by the large crowds that could be accommodated at Marston Point. The entertainment that year included perennial favorite Candye Kane, Men Out Loud, Joi Cardwell and Pansy Division, among others. One area in which the diversity theme could be seen was in the ages of the festival attendees. Both older and younger members of the community participated in the celebrations, and children were a growing presence at the festival, thanks in large part to the success of the Children’s Garden.
Later, in Laramie Wyoming…
A few months after Pride 1998, in a small town in Wyoming, Matthew Shepard would become a reminder of the dangers posed to the LGBT community. The 21-year-old was lured from a bar by two men posing as gay, and then taken out to a deserted road where he was robbed, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence. He was found 18 hours later by a passing cyclist.
Barely alive, in a coma, Shepard was rushed to a hospital where he was discovered to have suffered severe head trauma and other injuries. He never came out of his coma, and died five days after the initial attack.
Shepard’s attack and death were a wake-up call for the LGBT community. His death proved the need for including LGBT provisions into hate-crime legislation. Despite the progress made in the ‘90s, his death proved that there was still a great deal of anti-gay hatred, particularly in rural areas.