Celebrating Pride 2023

During June, we honor and recognize the valuable contributions of our LGBTQIA+ colleagues in the department, UCSF, and beyond. In mid-June, a faculty member joined the panel Out in Science: Being Queer in a Digital Age. This week, several of our sites hosted Pride dessert parties for nurses, technologists, faculty, and administrators. On Sunday, department members joined the San Francisco Pride parade in various capacities, some with UCSF contingents, others with local organizations. In addition to the photos from the dessert parties and Pride parade, several members of our community contributed their Pride stories and reflections. Overall, Pride 2023 was very Rad indeed!

 

 

“When I agreed to contribute a comment in recognition of PRIDE Month, I assumed it would be a straightforward task that I could put together with minimal effort. As someone who has identified as gay for over three decades, I really believed my thoughts would flow unencumbered. After several days of parsing through memories of life as a member of the LGBTQ community, I realize that I’m unable to zero in on any specific theme or experience that would encapsulate what PRIDE Month means to me.  I can recall the tremendous feeling of empowerment that I felt when I joined the 1993 March on Washington, D.C., only to have to return to my college campus where I had an appointment to speak to a military attorney about a classmate who was an officer in the air force and who had been accused of violating the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. 

 

It’s been 30 years since I marched on Washington and testified on behalf of my classmate. I am proud of the perseverance of the LGBTQ community and what it has achieved in that time. Each year’s LGBTQ PRIDE Month provides an opportunity to celebrate those achievements. It also has served as an annual reminder of the ongoing struggles we face as a community. Struggles that have profound impact on lives today especially among the transgender community. 

 

“This is my first year being part of Dykes on Bikes (DOB), and I had my first ride with them a few months ago. I have been joining DOB bi-weekly meetings as a participant. At the beginning of May's meeting, DOB announced they were taking in design submissions for SF Pride DOB shirts. I pitched the idea of a Charlie's Angels styling approach to focus on the diversity of the group members at a fundraiser event, which the group received well. I mocked up an example and submitted the design proof to the group. With feedback from the group, we did a live editing of the design. A few weeks later, DOB members decided which t-shirt design they liked the most and unanimously picked mine. I am so honored and proud that they chose my design. I always wanted to be part of the DOB, and this is an excellent start to my future with the DOB.”