San Diego Pride Podcast

We are so excited to officially launch the San Diego Pride Podcast, a new space where our stories meet the moment.

We know Pride is more than a weekend. It’s a living, breathing movement shaped by generations of LGBTQIA+ people who fought to exist openly, cared for one another through crisis, created beauty in the face of oppression, and built community through resistance, joy, and imagination.

The San Diego Pride Podcast is an extension of that work.

This new long-form series will explore the conversations shaping LGBTQIA+ culture, advocacy, identity, creativity, and community care today. These conversations will be grounded in the powerful history that brought us here.

Created in collaboration with Lambda Archives of San Diego, each episode connects contemporary topics to the rich and layered history of queer life in San Diego and beyond. Because to understand where we’re going, we have to understand where we’ve been.

Our first episode dives into a theme that feels especially meaningful right now: fashion as resistance. Inspired by Fabric of Pride, San Diego Pride’s inaugural fashion-forward fundraiser, Episode 1 explores the ways LGBTQIA+ communities have historically used fashion not only for celebration and self-expression, but also for survival, visibility, protection, protest, and connection.

Long before mainstream acceptance, queer people communicated through clothing, style, color, symbols, tailoring, and coded aesthetics to find one another and safely navigate the world around them. Fashion has served as armor. As language. As rebellion. As joy.

At this moment, amid rising anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, attacks on trans and queer community, growing censorship, and broader cultural uncertainty impacting historically marginalized communities, reclaiming self-expression becomes deeply political once again.

This conversation is not simply about trends or aesthetics. It’s about the power of being seen.

The episode reflects on how fashion has shaped queer nightlife, ballroom culture, drag artistry, activism, protest movements, and identity across generations. It also celebrates the creativity and resilience of LGBTQIA+ communities who continue to transform visibility in personal and community power.

The San Diego Pride Podcast will continue to explore topics grounded by:

• Movement & Advocacy: policy, justice, lived realities, and organizing

• History & Archives: preserving and learning from our collective legacy

• Community Conversations: artists, leaders, organizers, and changemakers

• Joy & Culture: celebration, identity, creativity, and queer expression

While this moment feels heavy, our community has always found ways to create beauty, care for one another, and keep moving forward together.

LISTEN NOW 

And as always: Pride shines on.

With Pride,

San Diego Pride

Stop the Cuts

Yesterday, the Mayor released the May Revision for the FY27 budget. To address a more than $118 million deficit, the proposal still includes $11.8 million in cuts to the arts through the elimination of critical Arts and Culture grant funding in FY27 that San Diego Pride and hundreds of other nonprofits rely on to operate.

For San Diego Pride, these cuts would reduce city funding in the current fiscal year from nearly $400,000 to zero. This funding primarily supports festival talent, the majority of whom are local and BIPOC artists. Other LGBTQ+ organizations, including Lambda Archives of San Diego and Diversionary Theatre, would face similar impacts should these cuts move forward.

Over the past several weeks, hundreds of advocates have attended budget hearings and spoken out against these drastic reductions, yet the proposed budget still fails to reflect the priorities voiced by San Diegans. While we appreciate the restoration of some funding for libraries and parks, it is deeply disappointing that arts organizations continue to be treated as expendable despite their enormous cultural and economic contributions to our city.

The arts are not a luxury. They are a core part of San Diego’s identity and economy. San Diego Pride alone generates an estimated $27 million in economic impact for the region each year. Under the current proposal, however, Pride would lose all city funding support while still being responsible for nearly $200,000 in city expenses associated with producing the Pride Parade and Festival. This creates a challenging dynamic for organizations like ours and raises important questions about how the city can continue to support the arts and cultural events that contribute so significantly to San Diego’s economy, tourism, and community life.

Attention all active duty service members, veterans, and their dependents! It’s time to register to march with the San Diego Pride Military Department in the upcoming 2026 San Diego Pride Parade!

Now more than ever, it is essential that we stand strong as a community and remain steadfast in our commitment to one another. The strength of our community has always been rooted in connection, resilience, and the willingness to continue showing up for each other—both in and out of uniform.

**Join us in making a powerful statement of unity and courage!**

**Register now at sdpride.org/military to secure your spot and be part of this historic celebration of diversity and inclusion. Together, we can make a difference and inspire others to embrace their true selves!**

For more information, visit our website or contact us directly.

Let’s show our community and this nation that we serve our country with pride.

Vote with Pride – Volunteer to GOTV
Primary Election Day: June 2, 2026

The June 2026 Primary is in full swing and San Diego Pride is launching our Vote with Pride campaign to get voters to turn out this election! LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across the country and we need your help to ensure our community makes their voice heard at the ballot box. From the next Governor of California to your local school board, each race will impact our vibrant queer community across San Diego. We have phone banking, text banking and canvassing opportunities for you to join!

All events are suitable for first time volunteers or experienced folks! We’ll set you up with the tools/info you need to succeed!
PHONE BANKING
Wednesday, May 27 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM

TEXT BANKING
Friday, May 29 | 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Monday, June 1 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

CANVASSING
Tuesday, May 26 | 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Thursday, May 28 | 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Saturday may 30 | 10 AM – 4 PM (Santee)
Sunday, May 31 | 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

There will be free refreshments provided at all volunteer opportunities!

Please sign up for any shifts that you are able to work at the link below:
https://forms.gle/1pQZsfkmc5E5m7Ej6

Volunteer Sign Ups Now Open! Pride doesn’t just happen—it’s built by an incredible community of volunteers! With Pride Week 2026 on the horizon, now is the time to jump in and be part of making it all happen! Whether you’re a returning volunteer or joining us for the first time, there are so many ways to get involved, connect with community, and help create a safe, joyful, and unforgettable experience.

Learn more and sign up at sdpride.org/volunteer!

Get tickets before headliners and major announcements are revealed and save.

When:
Saturday, July 18, 2026 @ 12 PM – 10 PM
Sunday, July 19, 2026 @ 12 PM – 9 PM

The countdown to Pride Month is ON! And we’re teaming up with OUTLOUD Music Festival + WEHO Pride to send our San Diego fam to WeHo with an EPIC ticket giveaway. Buy your OUTLOUD Music Festival ticket and you’ll automatically be entered to win an Artist Guest Pass upgrade.

• Winners selected weekly
• Exclusive upgraded festival experience
•  More chances to win every week

Winner announcement dates:
 
May 22
May 29

Your Pride weekend just got a whole lot louder !

OUTLOUD Music Festival at WeHo Pride is a multi-day, award-winning LGBTQ+ Music Festival, happening June 5-7 & with a star-studded, high-energy line-up celebrating and advocating for queer voices! This high-energy concert features show-stopping performances from the OUTLOUD Main Stage. Guests can enjoy tasty food and beverage areas, craft cocktails and beer gardens, photo ops, surprise appearances, and world-class stage production.

OUTLOUD is proud to be hosted by the City of West Hollywood as the kick-off to Pride.