San Diego Pride is proud to partner with the San Diego LGBT Community Center to officially kick-off Pride Weekend at the Fourth Annual All Community Pride Celebratory Champagne Breakfast, held at The Center (3909 Centre Street) on Friday, July 16, 7:30-9:00 a.m. San Diego Pride Board co-chairs Judi Schaim and Larry Ramey will be on hand to give attendees a warm welcome and announce this year’s Grand Marshal, Celebrity Grand Marshal, Champions of Pride and Stonewall Honorees. It is asked that a $10 donation be made at the door.

This event will take place on Thursday July 15th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. It will be held at 1041 Cypress Avenue in San Diego. This event is being held to benefit The Harvey Milk Foundation and will include hosted bar and major hors d’oeuvres thanks to Bourbon St. and Lei Lounge. Those to be honored will include San Diego Major Jerry Sanders, California State Senator Christine Kehoe, San Diego City Commissioner Robert Gleason and San Diego GLBT activist Lisa Sanders. Special guest Stuart Milk will also be in attendance. This will be an event not to be missed and is a 2010 Pride kickoff event. For more information call (619) 692-1967.

Seniors wanting to enjoy the Pride Parade in comfort can reserve seating in the shaded 50 & Better Reviewing Stand, located at 6th Avenue and Pennsylvania St. The reviewing stand opens at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 17th, with the parade starting at 11:00 a.m. To secure seating in the 50 & Better Together reviewing stand, contact Abby Schwartz at (619) 692-2077 ext. 212 or email seniors@thecentersd.org.

San Diego LGBT Pride has reinstituted its traditional Spirit of Stonewall Rally, which will be held at 6:00 p.m., Friday, July 16, at Marston Point in Balboa Park. The rally serves as a kickoff to Pride weekend (July 17 and 18), and will feature live performances by the San Diego Taiwanese Dancers, the San Diego Cheer Elite, an excerpt reading of Dear Harvey by actor James Vasquez and a closing number of Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Astra Kelly.

The free outdoor event will also spotlight a round of prominent speakers, who will address the political battles still facing the GLBT community. The roster includes Robin McGehee of GetEqual, who will speak on marriage equality; Pride parade Grand Marshal and global activist Stuart Milk, who heads the Harvey Milk Foundation named after his late uncle and Navy Veteran Joseph Rocha, a frontline activist calling for the complete repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

In addition, this year’s San Diego Pride honorees will be publicly awarded by board members of Pride. They include several individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the GLBT community over the past year, or for extended periods of time. For a complete list of honorees and their achievements visit www.SanDiegoPride.org.

The rally program also includes presentations of Pride resolutions issued from both the City of San Diego, California State Senate and California State Assembly. They will be presented by Council members Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio, State Senator Christine Kehoe and Assembly Member Lori Saldana.

The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego shows its pride and support for the local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community with the launch of the Pride Rocks package. As the official hotel partner of the 36th annual San Diego GLBT Pride Festival, held July 17-18 the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego will donate $20 from every package booked to San Diego Pride and the Harvey Milk Foundation, San Diego Pride’s charity of choice. With packages starting at $219 it is a great option for those who are visiting from out of town.

“One of Hard Rock’s brand pillars is ‘Love All, Serve All,’ and we are proud to partner with San Diego Pride to show our continued support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community,” said Matt Greene, General Manager of the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. “Through this partnership and the Pride Rocks package, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego hopes to help foster pride and respect for the GLBT community in America’s Finest City.” added Greene. For more information on Hard Rock Hotel San Diego’s Pride Rocks package, please call 866-751-7625 or visit www.hardrockhotelsd.com.

Behavioral Assessment and the Rapid HIV Testing Project, known as BART, is a new, three year CDC funded project that is designed to conduct rapid HIV testing within community settings. Every 9 1/2 minutes another person in the United States is infected with HIV – 56,000 every year. HIV remains a major threat to the nation’s health. But there’s something we can all do to help protect ourselves and our partners from this disease – get tested for HIV. Join UCSD & GEARS for BART testing during San Diego Pride. If you would like more information about this event, please contact Angela Robinson at 678-595-7096, or email Angela at angelayr7@yahoo.com.

The Rob Benzon Foundation will hold their annual fundraiser, Friday, July 16, 6:00-10:00 p.m. at 5140 Norris Road (Alvarado Estates). Thanks to generous sponsors, underwriters and volunteers 100% of the proceeds of this event are used for grants, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit The Center’s Youth Housing Project. For as little as $40, enjoy a hosted bar, food creations from many of San Diego’s top chefs and restaurants, a fabulous silent auction and an evening of fun with friends.

Alec Mapa will bring his unique brand of comedy to San Diego Pride for the first time in Stand Up for Equality at the Birch North Park Theatre on Friday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m. You don’t want to miss him in person as he dishes out about love, marriage, sex and all things “Gaysian.” He will be joined by legendary lesbian comic Dana Goldberg. This is a 21+ event (ID required). For tickets visit https://tickets.lyricoperasandiego.org.

The Lambda Archives and the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast of San Diego County present a Celebration of San Diego GLBT History. This event, which coincides with Pride Month, will feature historical GLBT community treasures and will be the first time a GLBT exhibit has appeared at City Hall. The exhibit will run from July 13 through July 24 and will be displayed in the lobby of San Diego City Hall, at 202 C Street. This exhibit is sponsored by Lambda Archives of San Diego and the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast of San Diego County, with co-sponsors including the Greater San Diego Business Association (GSDBA), Imperial Court de San Diego, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego LGBT Pride, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation and the Human Rights Campaign/San Diego. For more information, call (619) 502-0747 or (619) 692-1967.