With the exception of the Family Policy Network flying a “Jesus Christ: Hope for Homosexuals” banner overhead, Saturday’s Pride parade was both a tasteful, family-oriented afternoon and a showcase for our community’s diversity.

Now billed as “fun for the entire family,” San Diego Pride must cater to both children and adults, the latter of whom often view Pride as a celebration of sexual identity and expression.

This is no small feat. Curbing the explicit nature of our Pride parade at the expense of self-expression would no doubt ruffle more than a few sequined feathers (including our own). But pageantry was aplenty, and to our staff’s collective memory, not a float parading down University Avenue was inappropriate for an all-ages audience.

This identity crisis of sorts is not just affecting Pride. Gay businesses and organizations nationwide are experiencing pressure to “clean it up,” as more same-sex couples begin raising children and straight families begin moving into predominantly gay areas.

As reported last year in the San Francisco Chronicle, businesses in San Francisco’s Castro District, perhaps one of the gayest and most liberal zip codes in the United States, are getting heat from residents who fear display windows are too racy for youngsters. There’s no doubt some of these complaints are coming from straight couples moving into what has become a highly desirable neighborhood, but even same-sex families must cringe at the double-headed dildo on display as they pass by with junior in tow.

Pride should be commended for attempting to strike a balance. Upon entering the festival grounds at Balboa Park’s Marston Point, revelers, regardless of age or identification, found themselves at home. For the second year in a row, an adults-only section gave members of the community, 18 and older, freedom to explore the many sex-positive businesses and organizations within our community. And with an improved family area and the annual children’s garden, families and GLBT youth had their own patch of grass on which to celebrate.

Last week’s celebration is proof that there is plenty of room for everyone at Pride.

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