San Diego Pride
[4] The organization describes its mission as "fostering pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally" and its vision as "a world free of prejudice and bias".
[10] The parade has been held almost every year since, despite organizational and financial problems, which were finally solved in 1989 with the formation of a permanent Pride organization with professional management.
[13] In 1994, former mayor and current talk-show host Roger Hedgecock organized a group of protesters calling themselves "The Normal People".
[18] In 2012, the U.S. Department of Defense granted permission for military personnel to wear their uniforms while participating the San Diego Pride Parade.
[21] The DOD directive stated, "Based on our current knowledge of the event and existing policies, we hereby are granting approval for servicemembers in uniform to participate in this year's parade, provided servicemembers participate in their personal capacity and ensure the adherence to military service standards of appearance and wear of the military uniform.
[24][25] The 2013, festival featured an outdoor wedding chapel (couples arranged for their own officiants) in celebration of the overturning of California Proposition 8 the previous month.
In place of the parade, a "Resilient Community March" was staged from Balboa Park to the pride flag in Hillcrest, with an estimated attendance of at least 10,000 people.
[32] In July 2024, the San Diego Police Department rushed the installation of "smart streetlights" and automated license plate readers under the pretext that the Pride Parade and a recent rise in hate crimes established the exigent circumstances necessary to bypass usual oversight protocols.
[33][34] In December 2024, a lawsuit was filed against the SDPD for improperly deploying the surveillance systems at the parade and at Comic-Con without disclosing their locations or the nature of the alleged "exigent circumstances" in voiolation of the law.
