Photo from Pride 2017 by Doug Porter
This weekend provides the opportunity to observe some of the accomplishments of the past few decades by activists and allies in the LBGTQ movement.
San Diego Pride festivities have grown from a small grassroots march for equal rights in the 1970s into the largest civic event in the region, with activities spanning a full week.
The organizers of San Diego Pride have donated over 2.5 million dollars to LGBTQ-serving nonprofits and runs multiple year-round education, advocacy, and community service programs.
This year’s theme is Persist With Pride, a slogan that should serve to remind all of us of the long and winding road we’re traveling.
Fernando Z. Lopez San Diego Pride Executive Director Photo by Byron Morton
From the SD Pride blog:
Over the last year, our diverse communities have been burdened by the brunt of a rise in hate, violence, and political attacks; we’ve been here before. We have seen leadership in this country denigrate and discriminate against entire segments of society with name calling, lies, and policy changes that rip apart our families and deny us basic dignity; we’ve seen this before.
We are well aware of the increasing threats to our employment, voting rights, access to health care, and even attempts to prevent us from receiving lifesaving services and care, giving many a license to discriminate against the most vulnerable of us; we’ve lived through this before.
The road to justice and liberation has been long, and many of us are tired, but we also hear the call to press forward. I have no doubt that together we are stronger.
As each generation learns from one another, each community brings forward its support, each mind brings forward its brilliance, and we together breathe deep and lean into the struggle. For these reasons and all that we will collectively bring to that journey, we are proud to announce that this year’s Pride theme is “Persist with Pride.”
This year you will be asked to lift your voice, to volunteer, and to vote. I hope you will all answer that call, as together we all persist with pride.
The above is an excerpt from Doug Porter’s column at San Diego Free Press
{ 0 comments… add one now }