The lesbian community, including men and transgender people, turned out for the annual San Diego Dyke March and Festival (SDDMF) on Sunday, July 12.

“Today we celebrate as lesbians, as dykes, as women, because we still have a long way to go. We still know, as lesbians, as women, that things are not the way they should be. And that’s why we are here today, to spend a few minutes with our sisters thinking about how we can work together to move things forward,” said Sen. Christine Kehoe before the march began at the east end of El Prado in Balboa Park.

Speaking directly to the half dozen men in attendance, City Councilmember Todd Gloria said, “We have to work hard to let our women know that we support them – that this community is fully inclusive.”

After Kehoe and Gloria spoke, a jubilant procession of 150 lesbians and their supporters marched north on Park Boulevard, turning east on University Avenue into North Park, where a festival was held on Ohio Street across from the old Big Lots building. Marchers, dressed in their summer wear, held umbrellas to block the sun and signs that signaled their fight for equal treatment, singing, “What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want it? Now!”

At the festival – encircled by a dozen vendors, a beer garden and stage – Abby Schwartz, coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center at the San Diego LGBT Community Center and past SDDMF organizer, spoke about the need to be visible and active in the community.

“Lesbians, dykes, women need to speak our truths, our experiences, our desires, our fears, and our visions for the future,” Schwartz said.

“We all have gifts and strengths,” she said. “I believe it is our personal responsibility to use these gifts to create a better, more equal and loving world.”

Tryce Czyczynska, cofounder of 51% – A Woman’s Place Is In Politics, talked about the importance of voting, using the women in her family as an example.

“My father’s mother had four children. She became pregnant with a fifth child, without wanting to. She couldn’t afford another starving child. She was illiterate and foreign to this country. In desperation, she opted for an illegal abortion, and it killed her,” Czyczynska said. “I voted because my grandmother didn’t have the rights to live the life that she deserved.”

“We must continue to vote to assure our rights continue,” Czyczynska said.

This is the first year the march and festival, considered by many to be a sort of warm up to this coming weekend’s San Diego LGBT Pride parade and festival, are designated as official San Diego Pride events, said Shawna McIntosh, co-lead organizer of San Diego Dyke March and Festival.

“It required a couple of different things. We had to have everything approved by them. We had to get all the lineup and advertising run down and approved by them,” McIntosh said. “We wanted this for many years, to work together [with San Diego Pride].”

This year’s march and festival theme was called “transcending the dichotomy” and sought to bridge the divide between the lesbian and transgender communities.

“They [transgender people] often have no place at a dyke march, but most of them have spent most of their lives as dykes,” McIntosh said, adding that “being all inclusive, transcending the dichotomy was a very important factor.”

Many attended the march to see “eye candy” and to reaffirm bonds.

“We’re here for the boobies and the free water. That’s what we’re pretty much here for. That’s what it comes down to,” said Damesha Hill, a City Heights resident.

“It’s also about solidarity within the community,” said Griffin Bates, Hillcrest resident.

“Dyke march and fest is just a great way to get together and run into old friends,” said Sacha Casciato, Valencia Park resident.