Zweifach López Jr. is the executive director of San Diego Pride and lives in University Heights.
Our future will remain fragile if our stories go untold. I have been in the LGBTQ civil rights movement for over 20 years, and in that time, I have experienced firsthand how vital or vicious the role of the press in our fight for equity and safety is. The same can be said for any minority or marginalized community. Without the ability to tell our own stories, any of our lives or communities can be warped by misinformation, whether driven by intentional bigotry, pursuits of power or implicit biases. These offenses, committed at scale, threaten not only the individual safety of our or any community, but the American promise of a multiethnic democracy where all are equal.
The vision and leadership of The San Diego Union-Tribune staff, like former Editor and Publisher Jeff Light, former Community and Public Relations Director Luis Cruz, Editorial and Opinion Director Matthew T. Hall and Deputy Editorial and Opinion Editor Laura Castañeda, to create and steward a Community Advisory Board and Community Voices Project that disrupted a power dynamic by giving internal and external voice to some of our region’s leading advocates from a diverse array of communities was unprecedented and unquestionably powerful.
By the Union-Tribune giving access to so many advocates well versed in the culture, community, policy and pulse of our distinct worlds, we were able to help the Union-Tribune understand us, communicate about concerns, prevent missteps and misinformation, or help to course correct them as mistakes were made.
The rich tapestry of San Diego’s myriad communities found representation across the Union-Tribune’s editorials and journalistic features. For the LGBTQ community, at a time when many media outlets across the nation were casting shadows of doubt on our very existence, the U-T stood as a beacon. They gave prominence to narratives of LGBTQ communities of faith, celebrated transgender veterans, championed our arts and culture, and opposed the surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation. To witness such authentic representation, which was once unthinkable two decades ago, emphasizes not only the value of our stories but underscores their capacity to change lives, and in reality, save them.
The Union-Tribune’s endeavors have laid the foundation for a more conscious San Diego, fostering a culture where we see our neighbors not as mere faces but as living stories. Wisdom disarms fear, and when individuals and communities are perceived in our full humanity, it diminishes the likelihood of inhumane acts against us.
With so many institutional and leadership changes at the Union-Tribune, it is my fervent hope that the spirit of these groundbreaking projects remains undiminished. They not only give us hope for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow, they also paint a vivid portrait of what journalism, rooted in diverse community and authenticity, can truly achieve.
We must continue to ensure that our lived realities are told with integrity, comion and courage. We’ve glimpsed a dawn where our tales illuminate our world, building community trust. Let’s ensure this vision does not fade into twilight. Our future is intricately tied to our stories. May their telling not become a thing of the past.
