The Return of Big Dyke Energy
By Joslyn Hatfield
This year, the San Diego Pride Dyke March returns to the streets.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because it’s marketable. Not because anyone gave us permission. It returns because it needs to.
At this moment, when we are under sustained attack, the Dyke March is both a celebration and a declaration. It is a reminder that our communities have never won liberation by asking politely for permission. We have always had to fight for it.
The Dyke March was born from protest. It emerged from a recognition that queer women and gender-expansive people are too often pushed to the margins even within movements we help build and sustain. It is a space where our leadership, our stories and our power can take center stage. That legacy feels especially important today.
The sustained attacks on our bodily autonomy, healthcare, history and very existence are not isolated. They are part of a system intended to divide us, consolidate power and erase anyone who challenges it. The Dyke March stands in direct opposition to that system.
It is loud.
It is unapologetic.
It is everything we know Big Dyke Energy to be.
And make no mistake, in this context, “Dyke” is absolutely an energy. It is one grounded in courage, solidarity and an outright refusal to be erased. It is a celebration of queer women, lesbians, bisexual women, transgender people, nonbinary people, gender-expansive communities, and everyone who sees themselves in that spirit of resistance and collective liberation.
The word “dyke” carries weight. For many of us, it was the first slur used against us. A word weaponized to shame or threaten. Those experiences are real and deserve acknowledgment.
Throughout history, queer communities have long reclaimed language that was used to harm us and this is no exception.
Reclaiming “dyke” is not about forgetting the pain attached to the word. It is about transforming it. It is about taking something that was meant to diminish us and turning it into a source of power. And still, not everyone will identify with the word, and that’s okay.
The spirit within it is something we can unite around. The return of the San Diego Pride Dyke March is an invitation to gather in that spirit. To show up for one another. To honor the generations of activists, organizers, caregivers, artists, and community builders who came before us.
The Dyke March belongs to the people who show up. It always has. The movement belongs to those who show up. It always will. Take the streets with us.
About the Dyke March
The San Diego Pride Dyke March will take place on Saturday, July 11, 2026, beginning at 11:00 AM in Hillcrest. Marchers will gather at Mo’s (308 University Ave.) before taking to the streets. The march will conclude at Gossip Grill (1220 University Ave.), where participants can continue the celebration at a free community after-party.
Need a sign for the march? Join the community poster-making party. On Friday, July 10, join us at Gossip Grill for a community poster-making party. Whether you’re bringing a message of protest, pride, humor, or hope, we’ll provide the supplies. You just bring your creativity, your friends, and your Big Dyke Energy. It’s a chance to connect with community, make your sign, and get ready to show up loud, proud, and unapologetic for the return of the San Diego Pride Dyke March.
Both the march and the poster-making party are free and open to all who want to celebrate, support, and stand in solidarity with queer women, lesbians, trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive communities.