Every year during Pride in July, San Diego Pride has had the unique ability to highlight LGBTQ artists and entertainers through media and on stage at the San Diego Pride Festival. As the pandemic shuttered venues and events, our organization continued to find ways to tell our story and the stories of our entertainers. During our virtual Pride Live 2020, we brought back many of our favorite artists including Margaret Cho, Jake Zyrus, Adam Lambert, and more to send messages of support and to perform.
As the pandemic continued on, Entertainment Director Gardenia Partridge worked with Jai Rodriguez to find a new way to highlight our LGBTQ artists and create conversations on how art is advocacy. In October 2020, our web series Vibe with Pride was born as our joint effort with host Jai Rodriguez to spotlight LGBTQ artists and to promote visibility, equality, and empowerment.
“For the past 9 years, I’ve worked with many in the entertainment industry to find upcoming queer artists to perform at Pride so that folks attending can see themselves reflected on stage,” said San Diego Pride Entertainment Director Gardenia Partridge. “While we anxiously await the return of live performances, we can take this opportunity to hear from those artists directly and what motivates them.”
Since October 2020, the web series has featured LGBTQ artists like Mila Jam, David Hernandez, JORDY, and local entertainers Paris Sukomi Max and Amber St. James. The conversations have ranged from what they’ve been doing to keep themselves busy during the pandemic to what struggles and adversity they’ve had to overcome to get where they are now.
“Partnering with San Diego pride to uplift LGBTQIA artists has been a dream come true since the media doesn’t always shine a light on artists from our community,” said Jai Rodriguez. “Our hope is to continue highlighting these artists and their stories in efforts to inspire and educate us all.”
The series, presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, will feature upcoming guests queer artist Myylo on April 15 and local San Diegan Roann Mesina on May 20. More guests will be announced shortly. Learn more about the series at sdpride.org/vibewithpride
