The San Diego Pride Military Department will not lead the Pride Parade this year, for the first time since 2011 when local active-duty service members and veterans became the first such contingent in the nation to march.
According to department chair Lauren Henson, multiple factors contributed to this decision, most importantly the safety of the military participants. Marine Corps and National Guard being associated with immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, the transgender military ban targeting participants and backlash to festival headliner Kehlani played into concern about what could go wrong.
Beyond safety, the department had not received enough support from the Pride office, publicly or privately, as these situations developed, according to two volunteers in the department…