Supreme Court decisions spark celebrations in Hillcrest; LGBT Pride Festival set for July 12 – 14

By Anthony King | SDUN Editor

Celebrations surrounding the July 26 Supreme Court decisions that struck down key aspects of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and upheld a lower court’s ruling against Proposition 8 will continue in San Diego throughout July, highlighting the 39th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival July 12 – 14. This year’s theme is Freedom to Love and Marry.

Starting with the Sprit of Stonewall rally and flag raising Friday, July 12 at 6 p.m., official Pride events include the Pride of Hillcrest Block Party that evening from 7 – 11 p.m. and the Pride Parade the following morning, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on July 13. The Parade route ends at Balboa Park, where the Pride Festival occurs: July 13 from 12 – 10 p.m. and July 14 from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Participants at the Festival include a number of local, national and international businesses and nonprofits, support groups and health care service organizations, and entertainment. The 2013 headliners are DJ-producer Morgan Page and singer Monica.

George Takei and his husband Brad, along with philanthropist La Toya Jackson, will serve as Parade grand marshals, and Takei will also be the keynote speaker at the Stonewall Rally, which in part serves as a kickoff to the weekend.

After the rally yet before the Block Party – both are held at the base of the Hillcrest Pride flag pole, at the intersection of University Avenue and Normal Street – the Hillcrest LGBT historical monument will be unveiled and the rainbow flag raised. The monument details the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Hillcrest from the early 1900s to the present, and will rest at the base of the flag pole.

The Hillcrest Business Association serves as steward of the Pride Flag Monument, and partners with San Diego LGBT Pride to produce the Block Party, now in its second year. Last year, thousands were in attendance and the Parade typically brings over 200,000 spectators to the neighborhood.

Hillcrest was the center of celebrations following the Supreme Court decisions June 26, with two separate rallies and people taking to the streets in solidarity and a renewed goal to fight for full equality. In anticipation of the Court’s rulings, community members and activists began planning “Day of Decision” events weeks in advance.

There was a political rally at the Hillcrest Pride flag, followed by a march along University Avenue and a gathering at The LGBT Center. All guest speakers were excited by the day’s outcome, and The Center CEO Delores Jacobs called the evening a “community celebration” for all.

“What a great day to be Californian, what a great day for America and what a great day for love and equality,” said Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins, who flew from Sacramento, Calif. earlier in the day to be at The Center by 7 p.m.

The standing-room only auditorium was decorated in rainbow colors, and The Center staff and volunteers were offering appetizers, drinks and a celebratory cake for attendees.

“It has been a long five years since our right to marry was taken away from us at the ballot box. All of us can remember our summer of love, when we stood with our gay and lesbian friends as they married the person that they loved … and received the full dignity and recognition that comes with marriage,” Atkins said.

The Assemblymember said she and her wife “treasure” the feeling of inclusion and equality being married gave them, before Prop 8 took away the right to marry. “It’s been a long wait, but today the United States Supreme Court gave it back,” she said.

Both Atkins and Council President Todd Gloria thanked the Court justices who stood in favor of helping to striking down DOMA and Prop 8, and Gloria echoed Atkins’ sentiment of the power of all individuals working together for one cause.

“The fact of the matter is all of you are the ones that made this happen, by living your lives just as you are,” Gloria said to the packed house. “Never again are we going to have our rights stolen from us at the ballot box.”

Kevin Keenan, the executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, also spoke at The Center, giving a brief outline of the two decisions. Keenan, as did most speakers that evening, recognized the continual fight for full marriage equality through a “state-by-state campaign,” he said.

“We have a fight ahead of us, and the fight is not only for LGBT equality,” he said, “but the equality for all people.”

The continual fight for rights – ranging from nationwide marriage equality to immigration and women’s rights, among others – was the theme for the earlier rally at the flag monument. A selection of community activists and church leaders each spoke on the importance of full equality.

“We celebrate today, but tomorrow we must continue to fight,” said Christina Griffin, an organizer for the NAACP and United Domestic Workers of America. Griffin is a straight ally and urged everyone to come out to show support.

Pride festivities are not relegated to the weekend only, as many private and public events are scheduled throughout the entire week to help everyone celebrate the LGBT community.

For complete coverage of this year’s LGBT Pride, including Parade and Festival information, parking and shuttle tips, Pride honorees, and community members’ feelings on the Supreme Court decisions, see our special San Diego LGBT Pride Guide 2013 insert in this issue.