Marriage equality and a marriage date in June 2008 are what connect the Santa Cruz Pride 2026 Grand Marshals.
Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin has been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality since her days as the Santa Cruz County Clerk, which began in 1993. She has been at almost every Santa Cruz Pride since living in Santa Cruz and was first elected to the Assembly, where she has been a tireless advocate of equality for all people. In June 2008, she was honored to officiate at the first Santa Cruz County official same sex marriage of Dinah Phillips and Gail Groves.
Phillips, who worked for the county at the time, along with her partner, Groves, became the first married on June 17, 2008 and the officiant was County Clerk Pellerin. Phillips recalls that when Pellerin was the county clerk, she would annually report to the Board of Supervisors. At the end of each report, she would exclaim, “And one day, I hope we will be able to marry same sex couples.”
Groves and Phillips recall how that day in June was such a joyous time when ministers and marriage officiants came together to marry nearly 100 couples in and around the Santa Cruz County building on Ocean Street.
They had worked out as many legal arrangements as they possibly could when they met and became a couple in Santa Cruz in 1982. Phillips explains, “We set up a legal partnership through the California State Secretary of State in hopes we could at least have a family membership at the local gym, but even that did not work.”
Groves adds, “We never dreamed we would ever be legally married.”
They had been together for 25 years when the State Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage was legal in California. It wasn’t until 2015 when the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in the case Obergefell v. Hodges that same sex marriage was legal throughout the U.S.
On a recent radio show, Pellerin reflected about those years when same sex marriage was legal and how recent actions by the federal government against LGBTQ+ remind all of us that all of us need to continually stand up for our rights. She explained, “Even today, we see attacks to our LGBTQ+ community and threats to all the rights that we have fought so hard for. We need to continue advocating. One example of advocating was getting Proposition 3 passed in 2024, which enshrined the right to same-sex marriage into the California Constitution. That was one of the first legislative acts I signed onto when I was elected in 2022.”
Groves and Phillips went on living their lives in the lesbian community in a variety of ways. Groves was a former member of Santa Cruz Women Against Rape and was a founding member of the Santa Cruz Women’s Self-Defense Collective and taught self-defense to women and girls for over 20 years and co-authored a book about women’s self-defense.
Phillips worked as an analyst and Public Information Officer for the County Administrative Office until her retirement. She participated in a performance of The Laramie Project with Pisces Moon Productions in 2009. Together, Phillips and Groves have been members of Peace United Church for many years, helping out with various ministries.
When they were named 2026 Grand Marshals, Groves and Phillips stated that “We were surprised and honored to be part of the 2026 Santa Cruz Pride Grand Marshals. We love the SC Pride parade because it has such a nice hometown feel, and we see so many friends either marching or standing watching.” Phillips also recalled, “I remember marching in my first Santa Cruz parade, sometime in the early 1980s. I was working in County government, and I was really scared that some of the more conservative department heads or supervisors would see me. Gail was very supportive and encouraged me to go with her anyway, and I had a great time.“
Pellerin added: “Being named a Santa Cruz Pride Grand Marshal alongside Dinah and Gail means everything to me. Almost 20 years ago, I had one of the best days of my professional life officiating their wedding. I experienced, alongside our community, the joy of progress, the heartbreak of rights being taken away, and the determination it took to win them back. This recognition feels personal because it reflects that shared journey, our resilience, and the ongoing fight for equality.”
The Santa Cruz Pride Parade steps off with over 70 contingents at 11am Sunday in downtown Santa Cruz.
One addition to this year’s parade is that Santa Cruz High School Band Director Christy Latham reached out to all the high schools in the county to invite other band students to be involved and has formed the “Nor Cal Pride Band.” Representing 10 schools across the county, over 100 students will be part of the band this year. Spectators can watch the parade along Pacific between Cathcart and Church streets.
Following the parade, there will be over 70 information and merchant booths from 12-4 on the streets near Pacific and Cooper streets. There will be entertainment at the Abbott Square Stage and the Locust Street stage at which viewers will enjoy drag performers, dancers, singers, Cheer SF and DJ music.
The Grand Marshals will be honored on the Abbott Street stage at noon by a variety of speakers, followed by other performances. One featured performer later in the afternoon will be Irene the Alien, who appeared on the 10th Season of RuPaul’s AllStars.
The Second Annual Youth Pride, “The Art of Drag” will take place at 2pm, at the 418 Project. This event is open for high school and college-aged young people to meet one another, create some crafts, have some food, and view drag performances by Zimina, Xinistra and Lady Guinea Pinks.
In addition, the Santa Cruz MAH is open for all and will include a special Pride craft for young people as well as a newly unveiled “Queerstory Downtown Santa Cruz walk” that features different places that were important to the LGBTQ+ community.
Pride Week kicked off on June 1 with the second annual “Illuminight” event at the County Building, which was lit up with rainbow light following comments from County Board Chair and out lesbian Monica Martinez, County Office of Education Student Trustee Ash Immoor, Cabrillo College Trustee Adam Spickler, and others.
Other events during the week include a “Sapphic Jam Session” that will take place at the Mariposa Coffee bar in downtown Santa Cruz on Thursday, June 4. The City of Santa Cruz is co-sponsoring a “Celebrate Pride Town Clock First Friday” at the Town Clock June 5. The Grand Marshals will be introduced and a local DJ will provide dance music.
Finally, the fourth annual “Queerlantis” will take place on Saturday, June 6 from 4-11pm at the Veterans Memorial Hall. This is a ticketed event that features live bands, drag performances, a vendor market and a DJ afterparty. Local drag performers are featured as well as Irene the Alien from Seattle. The event will begin with a panel discussion of the drag performers out of drag sharing their insights about drag and related queer topics. Tickets can be purchased on SantaCruzPride.org.
All are welcome to be part of the myriad of Santa Cruz Pride 2026 events. All updated information can be found on the website at: SantaCruzPride.org.
Rob Darrow is Chair of Santa Cruz Pride and was born and raised in Santa Cruz before and devoted his career to education.
