I’ll never forget the first LGBT Pride celebration I attended. It was 1997, and I was 17 years old. I had just met a guy that I really liked and he invited me to come to this celebration that I had only read about in the San Diego Union-Tribune, secretly hoping I’d be able to attend one day.

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State University's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Union - also known by the acronym LGBTSU - will change its name to the Queer Student Union beginning in the 2013-14 school year.

Founded in 1975 as the Gay Student Union, the organization has served as a social, support, and educational group for the LGBT community on the SDSU campus for nearly 40 years. Over the years, the student club added additional letters to its acronym to give visibility to other groups, such as lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

SAN DIEGO – At a special event Friday night at the 1202 Nightclub, San Diego LGBT Pride announced that R&B and hip-hop sensation Monica and wildly popular DJ Morgan Page will be the headliners for the San Diego LGBT Pride Festival July 13–14.

“Freedom to Love and Marry” is the theme of the 2013 celebration.

“I'm excited to be a part of this year's San Diego Pride, as I believe everyone deserves the freedom to love and marry. It's a pleasure to give back to my fans in the LGBT community who have supported my music over the years,” DJ Morgan Page said.

SAN DIEGO – San Diego LGBT Pride's annual Out at the Park event and Tailgate Party later this month will include a guest appearance and remarks by former Padres player Billy Bean, who publicly came out as gay after his retirement from Major League Baseball.

Out at the Park will take place Saturday, April 27, at Petco Park in downtown San Diego. The Padres will be hosting division rival San Francisco Giants.