SAN DIEGO — As LGBTQ+ Pride kicks off around the world, this weekend it’s a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Hillcrest and in Barrio Logan. Organizers say pride events are important, especially for the Latinx and AAPI community.
San Diego Pride returns in-person beginning July 9 through July 17, showcasing the community and highlighting the many great accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community in San Diego.
But pride organizers here in San Diego are already beginning the celebrations from Latinx pride at Mujeres Brewhouse in Barrio Logan, to Hillcrest for QAPIMEDA pride event that helps members of the LGBTQ+ Desi, Middle-Eastern, Pacific Islander, Asian community.
Events like these bring awareness to the challenges of being a Latinx or an AAPI person who identifies as LGBTQ+.
"There’s an intersection between their current identities and their identities as Latinos so it’s a compounded struggle," said Crisoto Mayor one of the organizers for Latinx pride.
Mayor says many people who are Latinx will sometimes have a difficult journey coming out, especially with the religious and conservative history of some Latinx families.
"Latinx pride is a place specifically for folks to celebrate their joy to take a second outside of that," said Mayor.
That same idea is also similar for the AAPI community.
"I think a lot of Asians and other cultures have it very traditional view of what it means to have traditional identities and we are here to say that we have a plethora of identities within our community and we identify ourselves the way we want and the way we are," Kevin Lee, chair of QAPIMEDA.
San Diego Pride returns in-person beginning July 9 through July 17, showcasing the community and highlighting the many great accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community in San Diego.
You can find more information about San Diego Pride by visiting their website.
WATCH RELATED: The beginnings of San Diego Pride | From small-scale parade to powerful community organization (March 2022).