Despite a handful of protesters from a local Christian church and Concerned Women for America, Youth Pride 2004 went off without a hitch. Friday night’s ‘Family OUTing’ community kickoff – which featured an art exhibit, activities, a youth-produced theatre piece and an appearance by Wilson Cruz of “My So-Called Life” and “The West Wing” – drew 150 people. Seventy-five youth and supporters participated in Saturday’s youth march from the Hillcrest Youth Center to The Center, including transgender activist Leslie Feinberg, author of Stone Butch Blues and Transgender Warrior. The march ended in The Center’s parking lot, where food and vendor booths, carnival games, a youth drag show, live music and DJs attracted 350 attendees, up from 300 last year.

“I was actually expecting a big spike in attendance because it rained last year,” said Ren Petty, director of Youth Pride. “But rain or shine, I guess they came out all the same. … I did see a lot of new kids, and that was exciting.”

The free event was restricted to youth ages 14-24, with one adult or parent permitted per youth guest. Petty began coordinating the event last October. “The kids actually started getting on board and taking on some of the projects in January, early February.”

With the help of GLSEN and the Hillcrest Youth Center, word about Youth Pride spread through San Diego’s high schools.

“When we actually started getting kids from the high schools and North County and such, it caught on and we got those kids coming every week,” Petty said. “I was baffled, but we reached kids in Poway, and those kids came down every week for the meetings. Those were some of the most gung-ho kids in the group.”

Petty started Youth Pride because it was something she did not have in high school. “Coming up here and seeing the youth house open and seeing GYA [Gay Youth Alliance] and those kinds of groups start to become a big thing in the community was exciting and I just thought I would take it a step further and give kids a safe place to come and hang out with other kids just like themselves,” she said.

Feinberg kicked off the entertainment lineup with a speech about the history of Stonewall and urged those present to protest the war in Iraq:

“Stonewall was made by youth who look just like you here,” he said. “… That night, the youth… taught [police] an important lesson – that a stiletto high heel in the hands of an enraged transgender youth is a formidable weapon against repression. … Racism and war are gay and lesbian and trans and bi issues. We say first of all, our populations overlap, and second of all, an injury to one is an injury to all. … War defines every movement for social and economic justice. … The only people that support the troops are the ones who say ‘Bring them home, now’… Let them hear us say, ‘Hell, no. We won’t go. We won’t fight for Texaco.’”

Other performers at the event included Alicia Champion, Kevin Allred, Danielle LoPresti and Kevin Wood, and Lauren DeRose.

A church group and members of Concerned Women for America stood about 10 feet from the entrance to the festival and handed out flyers advertising a concert at a local church, but did not cause a disturbance.

The Carlsbad High School Lancer Dancers and Xcalibur, the school’s varsity and junior varsity dance teams, performed at the festival with the support of their parents and the school principle, but drew protests from the church group and Concerned Women for America, who hovered just outside The Center’s parking lot fence and filmed their performance.

“It looked like they were filming the kids while they were dancing and filming the festival and what was going on – making sure that everything was okay by them,” Petty said. “As soon as the Lancers were done, it looked like they packed up and left.”

None of the members of the conservative groups had any children affiliated with the dance teams, Petty said. “The majority of the parents that were making the fuss in Carlsbad were parents of other students at the school, not the dancers.”

Petty added that members of Concerned Women for America went to the school board and requested the Lancers/Xcalibur dance teacher be fired for agreeing to perform at Youth Pride, claiming that the parents of the dancers were not notified that they would be performing at the event. “In fact, the parents were told, and we had a bunch of parents there. … The principle and the school board are kind of shaking their heads, saying, ‘No, they knew. It’s okay.’”

On Tuesday, May 4, this same group spoke at a San Diego City Council meeting, protesting the council’s decision to issue a resolution proclaiming Saturday, May 1, as San Diego Youth Pride Day.

Local “ex-gay” James Hartline and San Diego News Notes reporter Allyson Smith were among those that spoke in opposition to the resolution, claiming that, as Christians and heterosexuals, they were denied entrance into the festival, and were considering a lawsuit against the city for allowing discriminatory acts on public property.

“It is regrettable and unfortunate that this council would propose a resolution commending San Diego Youth Pride for its second annual celebration this past Saturday, May 1,” Smith said. “To those of you who have proposed a plan to vote for this reprehensible proclamation, I ask: Where is your true compassion for children? If the members of this council had actually observed Saturday’s events as I did, you would want to condemn it instead of congratulate it. … Children who were admitted into Youth Pride, including the dance students from Carlsbad High School, were ushered into an area that had booths giving out free condoms, sexual lubricant packets and an erotic gay magazine named Exodus. … The kids were able to mix freely with adult homosexuals, transvestites and ‘Miss Gay Teen San Diego’ winners, observe same-sex sexual behaviors and obtain free and confidential HIV testing for ages 13 and up from a tax-funded San Diego County Health and Human Services van parked across the street. … Shame, shame, shame on this council for supporting a resolution that celebrates corrupting children.”

Petty, The Center’s executive director Delores Jacobs, Family Matters president Marci Bair, Center Board of Directors vice chair Richard Valdez, San Diego LGBT Pride executive director Suanne Pauley and Center treasurer Federico “Fred” Sainz de la Maza spoke in support of the council’s resolution.

“Youth Pride provides hundreds of LGBT and questioning youth and their friends with an opportunity to participate in a safe, compassionate environment,” Jacobs said. “… People are not admitted if they are adults not with their children. With regard to religious and communities of faith, many members of our youth and members of our community are members of the communities of faith. We honor and celebrate that. … It’s an event planned by the youth, from their car washes to their bake sales; it’s produced for the youth, in support of the youth, so they can be youth – to feel young, proud and free.”

“As long as the youth are being harassed in the high schools and called ‘faggot’ and ‘dyke’, Youth Pride will continue to happen to provide a safe spot for them,” Pauley said to the council.

“I can tell you that it’s the young people that really took that remarkable and unique action this weekend by assembling in that festival and telling people in a very proud and direct fashion who they were,” Sainz de la Maza added.

Valdez noted that a city council resolution is a big deal for GLBT youth. “It validates who they are and it tells them that you support them. … It tells them that you, as the adult leaders of our city, care about them. It helps their self-esteem; it gives them a sense of community which is essential,” he said.

“I think it’s easy to see today why I continue to be so proud of my community,” Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins responded. “There were years that we did not go out front and support the young people in our community because we were afraid that we would be deemed as pedophiles – as society has done that to us – that we would be perceived as people who abused children, and on and on. Those negative messages resonated. And so we stepped back and we didn’t do the job that we should have done as adults in the LGBT community… I am so proud of my community for being here today for something that should be a good occasion to celebrate the work of the youth.”

Atkins went on to commend PFLAG for leading the way in supporting GLBT youth and Petty for creating the Youth Pride event.

“I feel it’s unfortunate that these groups [protesting Youth Pride] are out there,” Councilmember Ralph Inzunza added before the resolution was voted on. “… This is a very diverse community and society, and we all have to find ways to work together… Our whole approach is the more diverse the better.”

The council voted 7-0 in favor of the resolution recognizing Youth Pride.