The parking lot of Santee United Methodist Church was buzzing with excitement Saturday as organizers prepared for what they said was the first Pride walk in the city’s history. Just a touch of nerves ran underneath. The city has a dark nickname — “Klantee.”
The nickname partly refers to a vocal contingent of hate groups in East County. Earlier this year, protests shut down part of Santee’s YMCA after a gym-goer took her concerns about a trans woman, Christynne Wood, using the women’s locker room, to the City Council.
Church leadership began holding annual Pride walks for the congregation a few years ago. They’d already been planning this year's walk and were motivated to make it bigger following the YMCA protests and the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think that's a small but vocal segment. I think that the community as a whole is caring and are all good people,” said Nanette Burrell, an organizer of the walk.
Jason Frye, president of the Hillcrest Town Council, arrived early to the walk. He teaches political science in the San Diego Community College District and gave a word for what happened at the YMCA: astroturfing. It means mobilizing to create the image of public consensus where there is none.
“Astroturfing seems like it’s grassroots, but it’s completely artificial,” Frye said.
Burrell and other church leadership wanted to show another facet of the place they call home.
“I want to be proud to say that I live in Santee,” she said. “I don't want to have people say, ‘Oh, that's where I can't go. I'm not safe there.’”
Hundreds of supporters arrived decked out in color and sparkle to walk, exceeding organizers’ expectations.
Bette Fondas was among them with her partner Valerie Ryan. She’s lived in Santee since 1987 and had never seen a local event like this.
“I’m tingling because I’m excited,” she said. “When you pull up, you’re like, ‘Oh, I hope we’re not the only ones.’ But turns out there’s quite a few folks here.”
Santee’s mayor, John Minto, spoke to the crowd.
He said after promoting the walk on the news he started getting emails and phone calls from “people that were not very happy with that.”
“What we want to do,” he said, “Is let people know that in our community it doesn’t matter. You’re welcomed here.”
Christynne Wood was in the crowd, taking the solidarity in.
“Words kind of failed me,” she said of how it made her feel to see the support after the discrimination she’s faced in recent months. “And I got a lot of words. But is this not beautiful?”
She gestured towards the crowd.
“This is the first step toward an entire generation that will not be silenced,” she said.
Halfway through the miles-long route, the walkers passed a dozen mostly silent protestors waiting in the parking lot of a Taco Bell. One woman with a megaphone began yelling.
She was quickly drowned out by drumming, chants of “No hate, no fear, everyone is welcome here!” and the near-constant honks of support from passing cars. The protestors’ dark clothes were swiftly obscured by bubbles, balloons and rainbow umbrellas.
The crowd kept walking.
