SF Pride to Institute Member Dues

The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, the organization which oversees the city's annual Pride parade and other related events, has announced that members of the organization will need to begin paying annual membership dues of $15.

This is the first time in SF Pride's 46-year history that dues are being charged - membership was previously free.

According to a July 19 email sent to its members, all memberships will be honored through November 12, at which time the $15 requirement will go into effect for new and renewing members.

Pride Executive Director George Ridgely explained to the Bay Area Reporter why the fee was being implemented.

"The cost to produce the annual SF Pride parade and celebration has been increasing significantly over the past several years and membership dues are just one of several avenues we are exploring to secure the funding we need to ensure the sustainability of the event," Ridgely said.

Ridgely hopes that as revenues increase, SF Pride can offer more events for its members to attend.

"We want to expand on our year-round engagement with the membership via community forums, speakers series, and other activities that go beyond our typical membership meetings," he said.

Ridgely added that members' input about the dues was solicited at SF Pride's monthly membership meetings during the past year.

"SF Pride members feel passionate about SF Pride and the importance of the event to the LGBTQ community in the Bay Area and around the globe," Ridgely pointed out. "Many of our members have been with the organization for a very long time and the feedback received during the development of the program indicated that they were more than willing to show their investment in the organization."

Brian Basinger, of Q Foundation, a nonprofit that provides rental subsidies to low-income LGBTQ people who live with HIV or other disabilities, as well as to LGBTQ seniors, told the B.A.R. that he understands the need for SF Pride to charge annual dues.

"As a former grand marshal and as someone who wears the responsibility for leading an organization, including managing its finances, I understand the need to pay the bills," Basinger said.

Basinger served as a community grand marshal in 2015.

"I support Pride's efforts at exploring all available avenues to remain financially healthy, including mobilizing the community to apply pressure for the city to provide adequate resources for Pride," he added.

Basinger pointed out that Q Foundation does not court money from corporate or wealthy donors.

"We understand the tendency that wealth has in influencing an agenda," he said. "I know that Pride has historically been very sensitive to erecting economic barriers to participation for our community members, and so I trust they have thought through that issue when it comes to membership dues," he said.

Patrick Henry, a gay man who lives near Dolores Park, told the B.A.R. that paying dues most likely wouldn't influence his decision on whether or not to join SF Pride. Henry is not currently a member. He did, however, express a few concerns about the dues.

"I'm unclear what the reasoning is for this new policy," he said. "I'd be concerned that the committee might be trying to discourage fair-weather participants, if that has been a problem. If the money is needed and there's no hidden agenda, then $15 wouldn't be prohibitive to me."

Ridgely said that reaction from SF Pride's current members has been positive.

"As we grow the program we will be looking for partners to join us in adding value for the membership, such as the recent partnership we forged with the Commonwealth Club of California," he said. "If the dues program is successful it will provide the additional funds we need to expand upon our engagement."