In the summer of 1975 over 200 LGBTQ+ folks came together for a picnic and an out and proud celebration at San Lorenzo Park, in downtown Santa Cruz. This first outing was the culmination of a weekend-long celebration which included workshops, a dance, and an orchestra concert. Also, for decades on the first weekend in June, San Lorenzo Park was the organized site for hundreds of folks to gather after the SC Pride parade. Just a mere six years after that first Pride, news reports and rumors spread of a deadly virus. Early on, AIDS was described as "gay-related immune deficiency," or GRID, because it was first observed in the gay community.
The early years of the epidemic were marked by fear, stigma, and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. This was especially true for the gay men’s community, who were often blamed for the epidemic. However, the response in Santa Cruz was extraordinary. This was the moment when the barriers of mistrust, that had separated gay men from lesbians (and other members of the LGBTQ+ community), fell. This was when the Santa Cruz queer community and our allies came together and devised an extraordinary plan to confront the stigma around this horrific virus and provide support and education.
During the depths of the AIDS crisis, San Lorenzo Park became even more important to our community by providing an annual place to celebrate LGBTQ+ rights as well as an outdoor space to honor those who had died of AIDS. The juxtaposition of exuberant joy and profound sadness and loss was typical of these challenging times.
It is because of this long history that we, the below signatories, petition the City of Santa Cruz to approve an AIDS Memorial in San Lorenzo Park.
Cheryl Fraenzl Executive Director, The Diversity Center Santa Cruz County
Jo Kenny Former Executive Director, Santa Cruz AIDS Project
John Laird California State Senator and Co-founder, Santa Cruz AIDS Project
Jerry Solomon Psychologist and Co-founder, Santa Cruz AIDS Project
Thank you for your support! We have 272 signatures and counting on our petition.
Please continue to spread the word and help us generate a long list of supporters for the City Council meeting! You can send your friends this address so they can sign too: tinyurl.com/SCAIDSmemorial
