Many of those marching wore brown paper bags over their heads, as shocked nearby residents and park visitors launched hate filled homophobic verbal attacks. However in order to avoid arrest for unlawful assembly- we organized and marched on the sidewalk. We marched from the Center for Social Services in a house at 2250 B Street to Balboa Park and back. The police sergeant not only refused to issue the permit but also threatened us with arrest, adding “There will never be a gay parade in San Diego,” before ordering us to leave the station. When we informed police staff why we were there, they quickly realized we were homosexuals and denied issuing us a permit. Pride in San Diego began 46 years ago when Vietnam veteran Jess Jessup, ACLU attorney Tom Homann, and I, visited the downtown San Diego Police Department to secure a parade permit for a planned “parade/gay march.” At the time I was living as a trans drag queen leading police officials at the desk to at first assume I was female.