[custom_adv] The annual San Diego Pride Parade is the largest single-day civic event in the region, and is among the largest Prides in the United States, attracting over 250,000 cheering supporters of the LGBTQ community! [custom_adv] Come show your Pride on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 10:00 am. The parade begins at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at University Ave. and Normal St., proceeds west on University Ave., turns south on 6th Ave., turns left onto Balboa Dr. and ends at Laurel St. – where you’ll find the entrance to the Pride Festival! [custom_adv] Pride parades are outdoor events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self acceptance, achievements, legal rights and pride. [custom_adv] The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage. Most pride events occur annually, and many take place around June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, a pivotal moment in modern LGBTQ social movements. [custom_adv] In 2019, New York and the world celebrated the largest international Pride celebration in history: Stonewall 50 - WorldPride NYC 2019, produced by Heritage of Pride commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, with five million spectators attending in Manhattan alone. [custom_adv] As always, dozens of colorful floats made their way through the procession. Spectators lined the route, waving and dancing in the spirit of unity, inclusion, and diversity. [custom_adv] This year, the theme of San Diego Pride was “Stonewall 50: A Legacy of Liberation,” marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – a turning point in the LGBT community’s fight for equality. [custom_adv] "This year, we’re really taking intentional time to reflect on the Stonewall generation – their hard work and sacrifice – that gave us everything that we have today and the work that we still have yet to do so that the next generation of our LGTBQ youth are safe and protected," Lopez said. [custom_adv] In addition to remembering the Stonewall Riots, there was special focus put on military service members at Saturday’s big parade.
