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How would they react to a proud lesbian who is also the first woman president pro tem of the California State Senate? Or our state Assembly majority whip, a proud gay man of color? I wonder what they would say to see a candidate for president who was not only gay but also a proud military veteran. I wonder what their reactions would be to see over 200,000 people come together alongside members of Congress, our governor and lieutenant governor, our mayor and first lady, as well as religious leaders, corporate sponsors and large contingents from every law enforcement agency and military branch that join us, with the support of the San Diego police chief. Now in 2020, our community is again united - this time in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.Įach year as Pride comes, I often wonder what Jessop and Homann would think of the parade and celebrations that we co-founded.
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We fought the disease through the 1990s, and then fought for marriage equality in the 2000s. With their deaths and the deaths of other people from AIDS, the tone of our parades shifted to one of anger and demonstrations as we united and marched for action from our government in the face of that pandemic. Sadly, both Jessop and Homann died of AIDS - but not before leaving a legacy of community service and advocacy for the social justice for all people. During that era, assaults, robberies and even killings of LGBTQ people were rarely fully investigated. Many of them never returned home after being sent away. Countless individuals were subjected to electronic shock treatments and even inhumane treatments such as lobotomies. LGBTQ people could be sent to a state mental hospital with a stroke of a pen from a judge or by one’s parents. In 1975, the city of San Diego issued Homann a parade permit, and the parade traveled along Broadway to Fifth Avenue and then to Balboa Park, where Jessop and I addressed a crowd of 400.īefore then, life was different for homosexuals in California. Some individuals wore brown paper bags over their heads, as shocked nearby residents launched homophobic verbal attacks. That year over a small group of us marched from the Center for Social Services on B Street to Balboa Park and back, avoiding arrest for unlawful assembly by marching on the sidewalk. The police sergeant not only refused to issue the permit, he also threatened us with arrest and told us that there would never be a gay parade in San Diego.
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When we informed police staff why we were there, they quickly realized we were homosexuals and denied us a permit. Pride in San Diego began 46 years ago when Vietnam veteran Jess Jessop, ACLU attorney Tom Homann and I visited the San Diego Police Department to secure a parade permit for a planned “gay march.” At the time I was living as a transgender drag queen, leading police officials at the desk to at first assume I was female.