According to organizer Sean Sala, over 300 members have signed up to participate, though Watson reports that it is unclear how many will show up in uniform. If you recall, DADT was fully repealed on September 20 2011, which meant that during San Diego's last Gay Pride celebration DADT was still on the books and even though Congress had voted to repeal the measure, troops at this same Pride celebration were still warned about marching and the risk of marching in a gay pride parade, according to an AP report at the time. San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration. Last year, the service members wore T-shirts which bore the branch they served in (photo above). San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration. 'So it was just time for us to do it,' Dilno told CBS 8. He says that "these parades have become a very sticky subject as far as commanders using their own discretion because they are showing either a bias toward a pride parade, or the right view, which this is about recognizing who people are." Meanwhile in San Diego, activists held smaller-scale 'gay-ins' and solidarity events, and even an 'unofficial' Pride march in 1974. history and first time since the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell that troops will be allowed to march in uniform at a Gay Pride event, but it's also notable in that the Pentagon is, as Watson notes, "making an exception to its policy that generally bars troops from marching in uniform in parades unless individuals get approval from their commanders." As organizer Sean Sala told Watson, commanders and their personal decisions were a hurdle in getting approval. "The Defense Department said it was making the exception for San Diego’s Gay Pride Parade that will take place Saturday because organizers had encouraged military personnel to march in their uniform and the event was getting national attention," reports the AP's Julie Watson. history, the Defense Department has announced that it will, for one day only, allow service members to march in uniform in San Diego's Gay Pride Parade on Saturday.
WHEN IS THE GAY PRIDE PARADE IN SAN DIEGO ARCHIVE
The Defense decision came weeks after the Pentagon joined the US government in marking June as gay pride month, making an official salute to gay and lesbian service members.This article is from the archive of our partner. Loud, raucous, and irreverent, the rainbow-hued late-June extravaganza that is the San Francisco Pride Parade & Celebration is the City by the Bays. Members of the military do not need approval to participate in civic events but do need approval to wear their uniform. San Diego Loyal OUT at Event Saturday, July 24 7:30 PM.
Pride at Deja Brew Sunday, July 18 11 AM Deja Brew. The Navy had already given approval to sailors to wear their uniform in the parade, CNN reported.ĬNN quoted Bardorf as saying in a memorandum: "Based on our current knowledge of the event and existing policies, we hereby are granting approval for service members in uniform to participate in this year's parade."Īccording to the Associated Press, 200 active-duty troops marched in last year's gay pride parade in San Diego but wore T-shirts naming their branch, not military dress. Pride Family Gathering Sunday, July 18 9:30 AM San Diego Youth Services. "We further understand organizers are encouraging service members to seek their commander's approval to march in uniform and to display their pride." A San Diego Pride sponsor and one of the host hotels, the legendary and. "It is our understanding that event organizers plan to have a portion of the parade dedicated to military members," Reuters cited Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Community and Public Outreach Rene Bardorf as writing in an internal memo. Summer is inching ever-so-nearer and that means Gay Pride Season is upon us. San Diego's gay pride parade will for the first time feature service members in uniform after the Defense Department reportedly approved the move.Īccording to Reuters, it is the first time the US military has granted such blanket permission since the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy - under which gay individuals were allowed to serve in the military only if they did not divulge their sexual orientation - was repealed in September.