In 1992, Pride saw increased representation of law enforcement and political officials. San Diego Chief of Police Bob Burgreen was awarded the new honorary title “Friend of the Year.” He rode in the parade, which took place on July 18th, along with Mayor Maureen O’Connor and Councilman John Hartley, leading a contingent of city employees. Burgreen was the first Chief of Police to participate in Pride, and this contingent formed the largest delegation of elected officials in a San Diego Pride parade to date.
San Diego’s newly formed Nation of the Four Directions also participated in the parade for the first time. They sang, danced, and drummed on the bed of a truck along the route. Following the parade, they gave a ceremonial blessing on the grounds of the festival. The reorganized ACT UP / San Diego staged die-ins along the parade route to bring attention to continued AIDS epidemic.
Grand Marshals were Sherry Harris, the first black woman and gay person elected to the Seattle City Council, and John Hartley, a city council member who had helped secure $600,000 for the Center in 1990 and the passage of the 1990 Human Dignity Ordinance. Hartley also formed the Citizen’s Patrol, a community policing effort trained by the San Diego Police Department. “Woman of the Year” Leslie Horn was honored for her involvement with the Center and for serving as a community representative in the police academy’s gay and lesbian competency training course. Stan Lewis, civil rights activist and representative to San Diego City Council member Valerie Stallings, was named “Man of the Year.”
General festival admission was raised to $16 for the weekend. A new festival feature was the Lesbian Health Fair, which offered free services and served to address lesbian health disparities. Primarily organized by Toni Atkins and Renee Richetts, the Lesbian Health Fair was co-sponsored by the Lesbian Health Project and WomanCare.
