SDSU Celebrates LGBTQ Community in Annual Pride Flag Ceremony

The rainbow flag will soon be flying high above San Diego State University as the campus kicks off its annual Pride festivities. The flag symbolizes the diversity of sexual orientation and gender identities on campus and represents the welcoming community that is SDSU.

The SDSU community both on and off campus is invited to the flag raising ceremony set for noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. The ceremony serves as an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to come together to both support and celebrate the accomplishments of the university’s LGBTQ students. The ceremony also serves as an opportunity to look ahead to future initiatives and ways to best serve the diverse community.
“We are very excited about the upcoming Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony on campus,” said Wesley Palau, SDSU Pride Center coordinator. “Throughout the years, there have been generations of students, staff, and faculty on this campus that have led the way toward LGBTQIA+ visibility and inclusion. The Rainbow Flag Raising is a moment to honor the history of our queer ancestors, their legacy and trailblazing. It also serves as a celebration of our communities, while intentionally acknowledging the work that still needs to be done.”

As in years past, an SDSU delegation will participate in the San Diego Pride Parade, which takes place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, in Hillcrest. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to walk with their departments or organizations within SDSU’s delegation or as a member of the general delegation.

For more information on joining the parade and the LGBTQ community on campus, please visit the SDSU Pride Center website.

SDSU continues to be nationally recognized as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly universities in the nation. The Campus Pride Index recently ranked SDSU in its 2018 “Best of the Best” Top 30 list of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. SDSU has been included in this ranking for the past nine years. 

The Campus Pride Index is a tool that compares LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices on college campuses. Campus Pride works alongside students, faculty, staff and administrators at more than 1,400 campuses to help support and improve the quality of campus life for LGBTQ people.

SDSU was also ranked No. 12 among the top 25 best colleges for LGBTQ students, according to a new ranking released jointly by Best Colleges and Campus Pride.

Among SDSU’s assets, Best Colleges cited the university's Pride Center; its LGBT studies major—only the second of its kind in North America; and its annual Lavender Graduation ceremony, which celebrates the achievements of graduating LGBTQ students and awards faculty and staff who have enhanced campus climate for LGBTQ students.