Happy Pride Month, San Diego! Each June, communities across the country come together to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, recognize its contributions, and promote equality and inclusion.

San Diego Pride will take place from July 16-20 this year. The city celebrates in July because previously when all Prides attempted to be on the same weekend in June, it limited organizations’ abilities to be in every city, to build supporter lists, and to grow. Wave FC will celebrate Pride all summer long and will close out the season with its annual Pride Night match on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. PT, when the Club takes on Racing Louisville at Snapdragon Stadium. Tickets are available for purchase here and fans will be able to receive an exclusive Artist Series hat on a first-come, first-served basis as an ingress giveaway.

The Club is proud to stand with the LGBTQIA+ community year-round and encourages fans to explore the local events and organizations listed below. If you have any additional groups you would like the Wave to highlight, please send a message to [email protected].

Events:
Pride By the Beach – June 7 from 12–6 p.m. in Oceanside. The annual Pride by the Beach is a visibility program and free community event of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center. The event serves over 13 cities, including Camp Pendleton, and helps increase LGBTQIA+ visibility in the region. The 2024 festival brought together an estimated 20,000 attendees representing a diverse and intergenerational LGBTQIA+ community — including youth, families, active-duty military, educators, and allies.

Pride Proclamations & Flag Raisings – From June 1–14, proclamations and flag raisings will take place across San Diego’s North County to mark the start of Pride Month. These ceremonial events kick off at Palomar College and Oceanside Unified on June 1, taking place throughout the region in the first two weeks of June.

LGBTQ Vets Pride Month Hike – Join the LGBTQ Vets at the Pride Hike 2025 when the group takes on Mission Trails with LGBTQ+ veterans on June 14 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Light Up The Cathedral – On Wednesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. PT, the LGBTQIA+ Faith Leaders and Faithful will gather together, in person, to celebrate pride. Join Dean Penny Bridges, LGBTQIA+ Faith Leaders and Allied Faith Leaders for an Interfaith Pride Celebration at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. After the service, the Cathedral will be lit in rainbow colors.

Spirit of Stonewall Rally – On Friday, July 18, the Spirit of Stonewall Rally gathers the community to recognize local leaders who are advancing equity and inclusion, while honoring the origins of the movement. The rally also serves as a platform to call attention to pressing issues impacting LGBTQIA+ people locally and beyond.

San Diego Pride Parade – Taking place Saturday, July 19 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., the annual San Diego Pride Parade begins at the Hillcrest Pride Flag (University Ave. & Normal St.) and proceeds west on University Ave., south on 6th Ave., and finishes at Balboa Dr. and Quince Dr. With over 300,000 attendees, this is the largest single-day civic event in the region and one of the biggest Pride parades in the nation.

Pride 5K – Held the morning of July 20 at 8 a.m. in Hillcrest, the Pride 5K brings together runners and walkers from across the world to raise funds for San Diego Pride and The LGBT Center’s Youth Housing Project. Last year’s event sold out and generated over $50,000 for local causes.

San Diego Pride Festival – Located at Balboa Park on July 19 and 20 starting at 12 p.m., the two-day San Diego Pride Festival features live entertainment, cultural presentations, local artists, community groups, and more. 

Resources and Organizations:
America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL) is San Diego’s oldest and largest adult recreational slow-pitch softball league. As San Diego’s largest LGBTQ+ sporting league, they welcome everyone, whether you were born with a ball in your hand or are just learning how to throw, they provide a home for all.

Lambda Rising Soccer is a s a 501c3 non-profit that serves as a boldly inclusive recreational soccer club that celebrates the LGBTQ+ and Ally community in San Diego. We are committed to expanding access to recreational soccer programs for players of all gender identities and skill levels.

Lambda Archives of San Diego – The mission of Lambda Archives is to collect, preserve, and share the LGBTQ+ history of San Diego, Northern Baja California, and Imperial Valley region. Since 1987, we have been the region’s only community-centered archives focused on preserving our local queer history.

North County LGBTQ Resource Center – The North County LGBTQ Resource Center is a 501(c)3 organization that serves the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and questioning (LGBTQ) community of North County San Diego. Their service area includes the communities of Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Fallbrook, Camp Pendleton, and other outlying areas. They come together to share ideas, resources, and expand our presence in the local community.

Hillcrest Youth Center & South Bay Youth Center — The Hillcrest Youth Center and South Bay Center provide drop-in support and recreational activities dedicated to the needs of LGBTQ and nonbinary youth, as well as youth living with HIV.

Our Safe Place — Our Safe Place program provides behavioral health services for youth who identify as LGBTQI+ from 12 to 21 years old, and their families. The program’s service provisions include a certified outpatient clinic that serves all of San Diego County. Clinical services include individual and family therapy, as well as psychiatric services. Additionally, Our Safe Place offers four LGBTQI+ drop-in centers throughout the County (North Inland, North Coastal, Central and South Bay) that are open 7 days a week, 8 hours a day.

PFLAG San Diego County — PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents, families, and allies. With over 400 chapters and supporters crossing multiple generations of families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural communities across America, PFLAG is committed to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed. The PFLAG San Diego County chapter was formed in San Diego in 1982 with 15 members and extends into multiple regions of the county.

Project Trans — Project TRANS (Transgender Referrals, Assistance, Networking, and Services) offers discussion groups, behavioral health services, HIV prevention services, youth services, and more. In addition, the program focuses on advocacy, referrals, outreach, sensitivity training, social activities and events, workshops, and networking with community agencies. Through a partnership with the Transgender Law Center, Project TRANS also provides assistance with legal documents. For more information, contact the Project Trans coordinator at [email protected].

San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition — The San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition strives to be a haven for the Black LGBTQ community. Their primary focus is connecting individuals to resources, events, and outlets that support and enrich their lives, and providing opportunities to strengthen the community in which we live.

San Diego LGBT Community Center — Open daily, the center provides a wide variety of LGBTQIA+ programs and services including crisis counseling, individual and couple counseling, facilitated coming-out groups, and over a dozen LGBTQIA+ peer support groups each week. Additional social, educational, and cultural events, and information regarding community resources, as well as HIV testing, counseling, and substance abuse information and referral, are available. Located at 3909 Centre Street in Hillcrest. The North County LGBTQ Center is located in Oceanside.

Sport A Rainbow — An organization close to Wave FC goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan’s heart, Sport a Rainbow encourages coaches, athletes and organizations to join the Inclusion in Sport Movement and be supportive, respectful, and kind to each other despite individual differences.

TransFamily Support Services — TransFamily Support Services guides transgender/non-binary youth and their families through the gender transitioning process to help make it the most positive experience possible. We provide family coaching, assistance with healthcare and insurance issues, help navigating the legal system, and support at schools. All services are provided at no fee.

Businesses:
Explore the San Diego Equality Business Association directory, which strives to promote LGBTQ influence through business ownership, workforce equality, and active consumerism, creating prosperity to support equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Additional business information and ways you can support can be found via the San Diego LGBTQ+ Visitor Center, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, and SD News.