SF Pride to Be Exceptional

People from San Francisco and around the world are preparing for the 45th annual San Francisco Pride parade and celebration, which is set for Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28.

This year's theme is "Equality without Exception."

George Ridgely, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, said the tagline was prompted by proposals in several states to allow business owners to cite their religious beliefs in order to exclude LGBTs from services.

The theme "really came out of public policy and legislation that was using religious exemptions as ways to get around laws that have passed for equality," Ridgely said. "As long as those exemptions or exceptions are being made, then it's not true equality."

The celebration runs from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday at Civic Center. The festival is free, but there's a suggested donation of $5 to $10. Donations from the celebration have helped Pride contribute nearly $2.4 million to nonprofits since 1997.

The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Market and Beale streets and ends at Market and Eighth streets.

Marriage Decision

The celebration will include more than 20 community stages and venues and about 300 exhibitors, and Ridgely said this year's parade would likely be Pride's biggest ever.

"We've definitely seen more people who are interested in having floats in this year's parade," he said. The last time he checked, he said this week, there were nearly 240 contingents registered.

"I think people are really excited about the expected Supreme Court decision this week," Ridgely said, referring to the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce this month whether same-sex couples will be able to legally marry in all 50 states. The justices' decision was expected as early as Thursday, June 25, after the Bay Area Reporter went to press.

Hydie Downard, left, and her longtime partner, Beate Siedler, will marry on Pride's main stage Sunday. Photo: Courtesy Hydie Downard

This year's main stage lineup will include a wedding ceremony, where Hydie Downard, 74, will marry Beate Siedler, 66. The women, who've been together 33 years and live in Oakland, were nominated for the honor by Pride board President Gary Virginia.

"Hopefully, those supremes are going to vote right this week," Downard said, referring to the Supreme Court justices. "If they do [marriage] will be legal in the whole country."

Referring to her home state, Downard said, "They don't accept us in Kentucky yet. They're going to have to after this ruling. I thought this would be a good time" to wed. Kentucky, in fact, is where one of the cases being considered by the justices originated.

In an email, Virginia said that Downard and Siedler's "33-year relationship and decades of service to the LGBTQ community combine to make them most deserving of an official wedding in this historic year. SF Pride wishes them a meaningful, joyous ceremony, and thanks them for serving as an example of why all loving, committed relationships are deserving of equality without exception."

Among other honors, according to Downard, the couple received a proclamation from former Mayor Willie Brown after their domestic partner ceremony "for helping to raise awareness about the need to legalize marriage for same-gender couples and being in the forefront of the lesbian and gay movement for marriage rights."

The wedding ceremony is set for 1:50 p.m. Sunday and will be officiated by the Reverend Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church.

Also this weekend, Marriage Equality USA will be in the parade and organize a marriage pavilion.

"After married couples, families, and supporters head down Market Street in festive style Sunday, we will be hosting a new activity in the marriage pavilion - signing rainbow, trans, and bi pride flags with messages of hope and love for individuals and entire nations that are not able to join in the pride celebrations - we want to share the love, and also renew our dedication to full equality for LGBTQ people worldwide in all aspects of our lives," MEUSA's Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, a married couple long involved in the marriage equality issue, said in an email.

Entertainers, Honors

The main stage is best known for its entertainment offerings. This year's entertainers include Big Freedia, the "queen" of bounce music, and Anthony Wayne, who's playing disco icon Sylvester in the bio-musical Mighty Real - A Fabulous Sylvester Musical .

Celebrity grand marshals will include Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors, the Oakland-based basketball team that recently won the NBA championship. Welts is the highest-ranking out executive in men's professional team sports.

Other grand marshals include Alicia Garza, co-founder of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and Brian Basinger, director of AIDS Housing Alliance/San Francisco. (For profiles of the grand marshals and other honorees, see the special Pride section of this week's B.A.R. )

The anti-LGBT American Family Association is the recipient of this year's Pink Brick award, which Pride gives to a group or individual that's worked to harm the gay community.

Reached by email, Deborah Hamilton, a spokeswoman for AFA, declined to comment.

With the buzz around marriage expected to bring larger crowds than usual this weekend, Ridgely said there would be increased police and private security presence.

This year's budget is "just over $2 million," Ridgely said. Sponsorships make up almost half that.

Each year, community groups provide volunteers for Pride and share in proceeds from the festivities.

Daniel Redman, co-chair of Pride Law Fund, said money his organization makes from Pride "will go to fund grants for new lawyers proposing innovative LGBT- focused civil rights projects."

Controversy

Every year brings some controversy for Pride, and 2015 has been no exception.

This year, many have been upset by Facebook's policy of using legal names instead of stage names or other names on Facebook pages. In May, Pride's board voted not to ban the social media company from participating in the parade.

"It was important to us to talk to the community and talk to the sponsor and understand what steps have been taken to get to where we are today," Ridgely said, and it was felt "the best way forward was to leave the door open to continue the conversation between Facebook and the community," and to "make impactful changes to the reporting policy, which is at the heart of the discussion."

In an email, Facebook spokeswoman Genevieve Grdina said, "Facebook is proud of our commitment to diversity and our support of the LGBTQ community as a company and an employer. We have been strong supporters of the San Francisco parade for many years. Last year more than 1,500 people associated with Facebook marched in the San Francisco parade, and this year we are participating in 12 celebrations around the world. We look forward to joining this year's 45th annual celebration."

Grdina wouldn't say how much Facebook is spending to be a San Francisco Pride sponsor.

"We don't share how much money we spend on the parade, or other Pride-related activities," she said.

Another Facebook spokesman, Justin Osofsky, vice president of global operations, said in a recent post that the company is now acting quicker when name issues arise.

The involvement of the home-sharing company Airbnb in Pride has also drawn criticism because some activists see it as taking housing stock off the market.

Ridgely said this is the company's second year supporting Pride.
The housing crisis was a focal point of last year's parade, and promises to be front and center in several contingents this year as well. Photo: Rick Gerharter

"They've been a great partner," he said, and "it's important to them to be part of this community and highlight the LGBTQ hosts they have here in the city," which is where the company is headquartered.

In an email, Darcy Nenni, a spokeswoman for Airbnb, said, "Airbnb is thrilled to continue to support Pride in the city we were founded in, and celebrate the 45th anniversary of culture and heritage of the LGBT community. We believe that the Airbnb community plays an active role in fostering understanding among diverse individuals around the world and we want to honor San Francisco for being a beacon of belonging. We are committed to diversity in our offices and in our communities ... ."

Airbnb workers "show their pride through ongoing volunteer commitments with local organizations that support the local LGBT community," Nenni added.

She wouldn't say exactly how much Airbnb is spending to sponsor Pride.

Ridgely didn't know how much money either Facebook or Airbnb is contributing.

Trans, Dyke Marches

Other events this weekend include the Trans and Dyke marches.

According to the Trans March Facebook page, the event Friday starts with a youth and elder brunch from noon to 3 p.m., on Dolores Street between 18th and 19th streets. The march starts at 6. There will be an afterparty at El Rio, 3158 Mission Street, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Saturday, the Dyke March will start at 3:30 p.m. Marchers will line up on Dolores then head north on 18th, eventually arriving at the Pink Party in the Castro, which begins at 3. [See related story, page 29.]

For more Pride information, visit http://www.sfpride.org