SAN DIEGO — Jeri Dilno is now a name that is forever etched in San Diego’s history. On Saturday, she had a street in North Park named after her.
Dilno is an Air Force veteran who was given a dishonorable discharge because she is a lesbian.
She successfully fought to have the dishonorable discharge overturned and then was inspired by the Stonewall generation to become an activist. She helped to found San Diego’s first Pride march in 1975. The San Diego Union estimated that 400 people marched that day, which made it the biggest Pride event San Diego had seen up to that point.
Dilno was also active in politics, often working to help elect LGBT candidates. Today, San Diego has more LGBT elected leaders per capita than any other city.
For all her accomplishments, Dilno remains humble. At the unveiling she said, “It is overwhelming. I don’t know that I did anything so spectacular. I was just doing what needed to be done at the given time.”
Her honorary street is in front of her home on Howard Avenue.
For more information on Dilno, check out her bio.