During LGBTQ+ history month in October, two events celebrated anniversaries only made possible by pioneering local activists. The San Diego LGBT Community Center held a gala in honor of its 50th anniversary – marking it as the second-oldest community center in the nation.
“We started off as an answering machine in a utility closet in Golden Hill by Jess Jessop and it served as a resource line for LGBT folks. So to see the growth that we’ve had in those 50 years specifically and responding to the needs of our community, that’s a really special thing,” said Ian Johnson, the Center’s director of development.
“We were always considering the little tiny town next to next to the border because Camp Pendleton blocked us from the metro up above and the mountains blocked us from the other side. And I think in a way that might have been good because we had to do our own things. And we came up with some good stuff.” – Doug Moore
Then, InterPride held its annual conference at the Westin in the Gaslamp on the 40th anniversary of when the coalition of Pride organizers held its second gathering here.
One of the reasons for InterPride being held in San Diego in 1983 was veteran LGBTQ+ activist Doug Moore being key in founding the organization after he compiled a list of Pride groups across the nation using the library, phone books and newspapers. InterPride founder Marsha Levine used his list to invite Pride leaders to Boston for the first gathering. From a handful of US participants originally, the conference now has attendees from 32 countries and six continents (Polar Pride Day organizers did not have a delegate at San Diego’s conference).
“I’m proud of San Diego’s history,” Moore said at the closing gala of InterPride.
San Diego’s contribution to the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights can be overlooked in favor of larger cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. Still, the region currently has the highest number of LGBTQ+-elected officials in California. Jen LaBarbera, San Diego Pride’s director of education and advocacy, noted that the largest protest after the passage of Prop 8 in was here.
“We have always been amongst the first. The first of many things have actually been in San Diego,” they said. “The leading edge of a lot of this movement has been here.”
Learn more about the history and current state of LGBTQ+ activism in “The Center turns 50” and “San Diego hosts Pride organizations from around the world,” in print and online.
