CONNECT with the CityLGBTQIA+ Library Services
San Diego Public Library’s LGBTQIA+ Library Services Committee honors the diversity of our LGBTQIA+ community in a welcoming and inclusive library space that fosters connections to knowledge and each other. The library offers equitable access to all, through accessible materials and resources, in supportive spaces that provide cultural and educational experiences celebrating diverse identities.
For questions, program suggestions, etc. email: LGBTQIALibrary@sandiego.gov
Quick links:
Featured Events
The 2nd Annual Rainbow Revolution
Monday, June 24 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library (Community Room)
Join us for the unveiling of the exclusive Pride 2024 Library Card, a presentation of 50 years of San Diego Pride images, live performances, and more! Enjoy light refreshments as we celebrate together in “Making History Now!”
PRIDE Storytime
Join us as we celebrate Pride season! Our PRIDE Storytime series is a family-friendly way of recognizing and celebrating our diversity and individuality through age-appropriate stories & songs. No registration required, all families are welcome!
PRIDE Storytime ft. Friidae
Tuesday, June 25 | 6:00 p.m.
University Heights Library
PRIDE Storytime ft.Lady Marmalade
Saturday, July 6 |10:00 a.m.
North University Community Library
PRIDE Storytime ft. Willow
Wednesday, July 17 | 10:30 a.m.
Oak Park Library
She Fest is located at Hillcrest Flag Pole (intersection of Normal St. and University Ave)!
Come meet LGBTQIA+ Library Services Committee members at San Diego's Pride week kickoff event, She Fest on Saturday, July 13 from 12:00 - 6:00 p.m. Receive your own copy of the Pride 2024 Library Card, learn about library resources and celebrate in community!
San Diego Pride Parade
Saturday, June 20th at 10 am
The San Diego Pride Parade begins at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at University Ave. and Normal St., proceeds west on University Ave., turns south on 6th Ave., turns left onto Balboa Dr. and ends at Quince Dr.
Did you hear? San Diego Pride has announced the Spirit of Stonewall Awardees! Our region’s LGBTQIA+ & Allied Educators and Library Workers, which includes SDPL, have been named the Pride 2024 Community Grand Marshal for ongoing efforts supporting the LGBTQIA+ community! Join the fun and come watch your San Diego Public Library march!
Lit Café
Saturday & Sunday, July 20 & 21
San Diego Pride Festival is located at Marston Point in Balboa Park.*
San Diego Public Library presents the 5th annual Lit Café within the PRISM: Art, Literacy, and Legacy section at the San Diego Pride Festival! The PRISM section, a collaboration between SDPL, Art of Pride, and Lambda Archives of San Diego, has been thoughtfully re-developed this year. Throughout the weekend, enjoy interactive workshops, fun activities, pick-up a limited edition SDPL PRIDE fan, and meet the community members and allies supporting you at your local libraries and organizations throughout San Diego and beyond!
* Entry into the festival requires paid admission tickets for adults, for more info click here! Youth (high-school age and younger) will be able to enter the festival for free, however, school ID is required! For more info, click here!
Upcoming Events
6pm - 7pm
All Ages
10am - 10:30am
PRIDE Storytime ft. Lady Marmalade
All Ages, Babies/Toddlers, Preschoolers, Elementary School Age
11am - 12pm
Book Club: Poetry on the Patio
Emerging Adults, Adults, Older Adults
3pm - 4pm
All Ages Craft: Rainbow Sand Art
All Ages
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Rainbow Spaces: Dungeons & Dragons /Calabozos y Dragones
Middle School Age, Teens
Pride Library Card Collection
In partnership with San Diego Pride and with the support of Library Foundation SD, the Pride Library Card Contest is an annual spring tradition that engages the creativity and talent of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community and our allies. This year, we received over 70 entries for the Pride 2024 Library Card Contest. They were all so great, that we wanted to share this year’s entries with you. Who do you think will win?
Contest Winners
- 2023 - Claude Castañeda
- 2022 – Leslie Pagel
- 2021 – Clara
- 2020 – Jasmine Nguyen
On their 2023 winning design, Claude states, “Find your voice, to me, means being authentically yourself. I’d like this artwork to remind everyone to continue to be true to themselves in the face of adversity and find their own voice and space within our community. While the tone of my piece is one of joy, the current push to vilify trans people, drag performers, and people of color, inspired me to take a lot of the anxiety that surrounds those negative thoughts into showcasing someone who embodies all of that to the forefront. By being visible, genuine, and by continuing to fight, I know we’ll persist in instilling change and further action for a place where we can all be ourselves and thrive.”
LGBTQIA+ History and Culture
Lambda Archives of San Diego collects, preserves, and shares the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in San Diego, Northern Baja California, and the Imperial County region. Research appointments may be requested via the Lambda Archives website.
Community Resources
- The San Diego LGBT Community Center
The Center is the nation's second oldest and one of the largest LGBT community centers that provides direct program services to the many different facets of the LGBT community, including men, women, youth, seniors, families, LGBT Latino community members and their families, and those living with HIV. - San Diego Youth Services
Mental health services and drop-in centers for LGBT youth and their families. - The Trevor Project | 1-866-488-7386
24/7 crisis and support hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth ages 13-24. Also offers text and chat services. - GLBT National Help Center
Free and confidential hotlines, chatrooms, and other resources for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people. - Trans Lifeline | 1-877-565-8860
Hotline that offers support and resources to transgender people in need. Staffed by the transgender community for the transgender community. - San Diego Pride
San Diego Pride fosters pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally. Pride supports a number of programs for all ages that meet the diverse needs and interest of the LGBTQ community. - Rainbow Book Month™ | Round Tables (ala.org): Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community. Originally established in the early 1990s by The Publishing Triangle as National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, this occasion is an opportunity for book lovers and libraries with the very best in LGBTQIA+ literature.