Silicon Valley Pride’s ‘Unstoppable’ for 50th anniversary weekend 

Silicon Valley Pride is proud to be celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, August 30-31. This year’s theme is “Unstoppable: 50 Years of Love, Legacy and Liberation,” according to Nichole A. Denson, a proud Brown Native American Mexican lesbian woman who is the CEO of Silicon Valley Pride. 

The events of the second Trump administration, including stripping rights from transgender people, helped inspire the theme, Denson said.

The queer community needs to fight those who seek to “push us back in the closet, and back in time,” Denson said. “Everything speaks on a larger scale to everything going on, not just with things that affect the LGBTQ population but the entire population of the country. We need to be unstoppable together, and be vocal for everyone.”

The festival will be held at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, in downtown San Jose on Saturday, August 30, from 6 to 11 p.m. and Sunday, August 31, from noon until 6 p.m. On Saturday, admission to the festival will be $45, and on Sunday, admission will be $15. Tickets are available online .

Denson said that the high price of the Saturday ticket is for two reasons; first, the organization's budget has been “drastically reduced” due to donors not giving money amid economic uncertainty and the Trump administration’s hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This has led to there being less entertainment at this year’s event than in the past.

“In prior years we had multiple stages,” Denson said. “This year, we’ve cut it down to one stage, which is unfortunate.”

The second reason, Denson said, is the cost of entertainment. Saturday will be headlined by Snow Tha Product, a San Jose native and bisexual rapper. 

“We’ve spent half a century breaking barriers and embracing every facet of who we are, and this historic festival – featuring Snow Tha Product – is our boldest statement yet: we are truly unstoppable,” Denson stated in a news release. “Whether you’ve been with us for decades or you’re new to Pride, we invite everyone to feel the magic and the momentum that has carried us through five remarkable decades.”

Snow Tha Product didn’t return a request for comment.

On August 31 at 10:30 a.m. the parade will kick off from Julian and Market streets and make its way to the park. Among those marching in the parade will be freshman Congressmember Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose), a straight ally and the former mayor of San Jose. People who want to sign up to march with Liccardo can do so online . 

Also joining will be Santa Clara County District 5 Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, a straight ally. People who want to march with Abe-Koga can also sign up online . She’s encouraging members of her contingent to wear purple.

“The LGBTQ+ community is a deeply valued part of our county, one that has long endured systemic attacks and may soon be facing the re-litigation of marriage equality,” Abe-Koga stated in her newsletter to constituents. “In this moment, representation is not a luxury; it’s a lifeline. Public leadership must reflect the full spectrum of our communities, and this summit made that truth unmistakably clear.”

Anthony Tordillos, a gay man who is the newly-sworn in representative of the San Jose City Council’s District 3, where many of the Pride festivities will take place, stated August 26, "It's not lost on me that this is not only my first time celebrating Silicon Valley Pride as a councilmember, but that we are celebrating in spite of a political climate that seeks to undo all the progress we've made.

“Providing proud queer representation here on the dais [at City Hall] in San Jose is a privilege and a responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm excited that we'll be celebrating 50 years of Silicon Valley Pride in the heart of my district in downtown San Jose,” he added.

Other activities
Before the main Pride festivities, there will be a new street mural unveiling in the Qmunity District in downtown San Jose, home to LGBTQ bars such as Splash Video Dance Bar and Mac’s Club and near the park, on Friday, August 29, at 6 p.m., according to Nathan Svoboda, a gay man who is Qmunity’s president. Afterward, entertainment, performances, and a block party continue till midnight.

For those who want to take a trip down memory lane on this golden anniversary there are at least a couple of other options. One is “Pride and Politics: The BAYMEC Story,” an exhibit on the history of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee. The exhibit is open at 240 South Market Street, Suite 10, across from the park, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., including August 30 and 31. 

BAYMEC is a political action committee that has advocated for LGBTQ rights in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties since 1984. Ken Yeager, a gay man who co-founded BAYMEC, was the first openly gay elected official in Santa Clara County. He previously served on the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Before that he was a trustee of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District.

“What better day than Pride Sunday to visit the Queer Silicon Valley gallery to learn about local queer history. Included in the exhibit are photos and programs from past festivals and parades, so please come by and say hi,” Yeager told the B.A.R.

There’s also “Snapshots of Pride,” on view at the New Museum Los Gatos, 106 E. Main Street in Los Gatos, Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through October 5. The exhibit features the work of the late Ted Sahl, a straight ally who photographed Silicon Valley’s LGBTQ community during the 1970s and 1980s.

“If it were not for Ted and his interest in these photographs and in the community, these would not have been documented at all,” Jamie Donofrio, a spokesperson for “Snapshots of Pride,” told the B.A.R. in a phone interview. Donofrio said that the museum’s staff will be marching in the parade. 

The exhibit was curated by Amy Long, a freelance history photographer.

“Ted Sahl was a prolific photographer,” Long stated to the B.A.R. “He took over 12,000 photographs of the South Bay LGBTQ+ community on his own time and own dime (remember, it’s film, not digital!). He showed us that there was just as much power, strength, and community here as in San Francisco, which traditionally gets much more attention. The LGBTQ+ community in the suburbs was a microcosm of what was happening in larger cities, but just as important and successful.”

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority wants people to know that the VTA Pride Bus “is cruising through Santa Clara County this month, featuring eight LGBTQ+ icons wrapped in a bold, pop-art-style design that captures the energy of 1970s visual culture,” according to VTA spokesperson Marina Chakmakjian. Among those being honored are Yeager, Harvey Milk, Angela Davis, Marsha P. Johnson, Keith Haring, Audre Lorde, José Julio Sarria, and Billy DeFrank, the namesake of San Jose’s LGBTQ community center.

For more information on Silicon Valley Pride, visit svpride.com .

Updated, 8/26/25: This article has been updated with comments from Anthony Tordillos.