This year, it would be very easy to let San Diego Pride come and go without it making much of a blip on the radar. After all, this time around, Pride is forced to compete with San Diego’s Street Scene, a two-day festival of live musical acts that includes a whole bunch of A-list names (The Killers, The White Stripes, Snoop Dogg, The Black Eyed Peas, the Pixies and more). I’ll admit, I have a ticket for Friday and I’m really excited about experiencing Street Scene at a new location. This year the festival moves to an area outside of Qualcomm Stadium and provides four times more space than the insufferably packed downtown streets of S.D. did in past years – which will hopefully translate into seeing far less frat boys “relieving themselves” right in the middle of the party (sorry to disappoint some of my male readers!)

Of course, on Saturday, July 30, I’m going to the Pride parade in Hillcrest and the festival in Balboa Park. Why? Surely not because I have an affinity for rainbow-covered everything, or because the musical lineup can top Street Scene’s. I’m going because now, perhaps more than ever, it is vital for us to be visible as an LGBTQ community whenever possible. When we as a community participate in Pride, we participate in a greater global movement of Pride celebrations that collectively show the world that queer people exist everywhere and deserve equal rights. Isn’t that the theme of this year’s Pride celebration? “Equal Rights: No More, No Less!”

When you show up to Pride and dance in the hip-hop tent or browse literature in the Human Rights Campaign tent, you add yourself and your support to a community much larger than those you see around you; you join an army of people who believe that Pride parades will continue to be necessary until we can finally say that LGBTQ folks are being valued, cared for and respected under the law.

It’s always bothered me that some critics claim Pride parades are just “too over the top,” too gaudy and too full of thong underwear to positively represent the queer community. To those people I say, “If you don’t like it, change it.” Instead of staying home (and wearing your thong underwear there), why not come to the parade with something else in hand… such as a sign demanding marriage equality?

According to Equality California’s Marriage Equality Project, there are over 4,800 codes in California state law that treat people differently based on their marital status, despite the fact that the California Constitution states, “A person may not be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law or denied equal protection of the laws.” There are another 1,138 federal rights that only marriage grants, leaving our community at a huge disadvantage when it comes to basic fundamental rights, including visiting a loved one in the hospital, applying for immigration and residency for partners from another country and participating in joint parenting, adoption, foster care, custody, etc. If that’s not cause enough to march down University Avenue loudly and proudly, demanding visibility and equal rights for all, I don’t what is!

So look for me rolling down the parade with my friends at Fraternity House, Inc. – a local non-profit that provides San Diego’s only two licensed residential care facilities for people with HIV/AIDS. I might not be wearing a thong… but I will be wearing a smile!

The Women’s Resource Center is calling all artists to participate in their new project – Art Nights! Artists of any type (display and/or performance) are welcome to submit work for consideration. Art Nights at The Center will feature up to three artists per night, and will take place six times a year beginning in September. For more information, contact Claudia Lucero at (619) 692-2077 ext. 206 or clucero@thecentersd.org.

Join the women of Siren Open Mic for an evening of spoken word, music, activism and more on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 8:00 p.m. at Korova Coffee Bar (4496 Park Blvd.), when featured writer Ali Liebegott will read from her novel The Beautifully Worthless. Ali Liebegott’s poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. In 1999, Liebegott was the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in poetry, and in 1997 and 1999 she read her poems and stories nationwide with the notorious Sister Spit’s Ramblin’ Road Show. We’re lucky that she now lives and teaches locally and can swing by Siren! Sign-up for the open mic begins at 7:30 p.m., and, best of all, Siren is free! For more info, email sheslams@bust.com.

Congratulations are due to the women of Ladyfest San Diego, who put on a successful four-day festival of women’s and trans’ programming earlier this month! A core group of volunteers put in many long hours to make the festival a reality, and it truly paid off. The festivities included a film festival, a T.M.I. performance featuring Lynn Breedlove and Lavanderia, a Siren performance featuring Kelli Ruddick, L-Train, Molly Jenson and Evan Bethany, and much, much more! Thanks to all those who attended, participated, performed, volunteered, etc. And stay tuned for news on Ladyfest San Diego 2006!

Friday, July 29, Six Degrees features Elena at 8:00 p.m. followed by Abigail’s Attic, Sarah Harmel and Nels Beam. Dance music follows the show. Bourbon Street has a little something for everyone on Pride Friday, starting with the ladies night happy hour from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. with DJ LV spinning. DJ Bruce follows, spinning from 9:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. And at Numbers, it’s Bad Kitties Pride with Las Vegas DJ Lisa Pittman and the Pussy Posse dancers.

On Saturday, July 30, Jennifer Corday plays at Six Degrees from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m., and DJ Moody spins your favorite hip-hop, house and dance tunes from 10:00 p.m. to close. Six Degrees’ new dancers will be in the house to shake their thang all night long! Over at The Flame, it’s Candy Pride, the official Lavender Lens Pride party for the girls.

On Sunday, July 31, don’t miss the free breakfast at Six Degrees, served from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Get more free food at the barbecue taking place from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., and take advantage of $1 Bloody Marys and mimosas from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and the 50-cent Bud Light draft beer bust from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Stick around for the Wet Boxer Contest, a wet T-shirt contest, a dunk tank and DJ music.

That’s it on my end. Have a happy Pride, and I’ll see you next month!

Submit an event to Queer Abby at queerabby@hotmail.com.