En 1984, parishioners of fundamentalist church Bible Missionary Fellowship in Santee donned hazmat suits and traveled to Hillcrest to let the gayborhood know, with large cardboard signs, the mysterious AIDS virus killing loved ones was a punishment from God. Forty years later, Santee United Methodist Church (SUMC) invited LGBTQ+ people to their church for a festival ahead of the Santee Pride Walk on Saturday, June 22.

In the second year of this event, the suburban city was much calmer: Defend East County and counter protesters were replaced with just three men “seeking dialogue.” Only a few motorists flipped off the hundred or so marchers as they walked along Mission Gorge Road through the Santee Town Center. In a speech at the festival, Santee Mayor John Minto said last year he received angry calls and emails about his participation in the walk. This year, he did not receive public backlash for the choice. Still, many were surprised a Pride Walk was taking place in Santee at all. Minto responded, “You’ve been lost for a long time. Santee is a very inclusive place these days, very tolerant.”

The Santee Pride Walk began in the aftermath of the Cameron YMCA becoming ground zero in a war on transgender people using public restrooms in early 2023. The Black transgender woman who was the target of that attack, Christynne Wood, recalled the incident in her speech at the second walk – and how LGBTQ+ people and allies came to support her publicly. “Surrounded by an army of those who do embrace acceptance, diversity and love, I testified before the Santee City Council and refuted the hysterical lies spoken about me.”

One of the main battlegrounds for LGBTQ+ rights in East County is on school boards. A state investigator found Cajon Valley School District scrubbed its sexual health curriculum of any mention of LGBTQ+ topics, violating state law. In 2023, Grossmont Union High School District severed its decades long mental health services contract with San Diego Youth Services over its therapists providing gender-affirming counseling. Parents, teachers and students were concerned about a gap in services and a sub-par replacement. At the time of the vote, board member Dr. Gary Woods said, “We need to look for alternatives that best reflect East County values.”

For Maria Schembri, who used to work in GUHSD, this is par for the course with the board. “…They canceled trainings that teachers were going to put on about Ed code to educate other teachers. They fired staff that were queer. There’s a long laundry list of things that they have done.”

When she moved from GUHSD to San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), it was a drastic change for the better for the queer educator. One of the things Schembri noticed was how much outside support there was for LGBTQ+ youth en SDUSD. “In East County… there’s not a lot of community resources. Like in San Diego Unified, we have the Hillcrest Youth Center and we have San Diego Pride. We have all these things accessible to youth, but out there they have very little,” she said.

The attack on Wood and the SDYS contract have become a catalyst for LGBTQ+ people in East County to better organize and push back against discriminatory rhetoric and policies, especially on school boards. East County Queer & Trans Coalition was formed as a way for the many LGBTQ+ people in eastern San Diego County to build community and advocacy networks. While still a fledgling organization, San Diego Pride bestowed the Spirit of Stonewall Service Award to ECQTC, partially as a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ people living in the area.

A spokesperson wrote “ECQTCo will no longer allow white supremacy and hatred to be what defines this beautiful part of San Diego County. We will not tolerate another generation growing up being shamed for being themselves and ashamed of where they are from.”

Events like the Santee Pride Walk, ECQTCo’s barbecue, and a Social Saturday put on by the Transgender Health & Wellness Center at a La Mesa business have helped LGBTQ+ people living in the area connect with each other. One such success story is of Emma Magnus, who after attending the Santee Pride Walk became a member at SUMC.

“I found a faith community that walked the walk. They were not only welcoming but affirming and accepting of who I am.” Magnus urged the festival crowd, “Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re just tolerated.”

Perhaps in the future, as LGBTQ+ people build stronger coalitions, East County can be such a place of celebration.