Hillcrest’s year-round Pride flags remind visitors and neighbors alike that everyone deserves to feel seen, safe and welcome.
by scott leonard
Hillcrest has always worn its Pride proudly. Now, thanks to a new year-round flag initiative, that message is impossible to miss.
A total of 112 rainbow and Progress Pride flags now line the neighborhood year-round, transforming San Diego’s LGBTQ+ Cultural District into a daily reminder of the community’s history, resilience and future. For Ryan Bedrosian, president of the Hillcrest Business Association and owner of Rich’s San Diego, helping bring that vision to life was about making a statement that extends far beyond a single month on the calendar.
“With everything happening in the world right now, it felt more important than ever that Pride not be limited to just one month,” Bedrosian told me. “Pride belongs here every day of the year.”
That simple idea became the driving force behind the project.
One of the biggest conversations wasn’t whether Hillcrest should fly Pride flags—it was which Pride flag should fly. Rather than choosing between the original Rainbow Pride flag and the Progress Pride flag, Bedrosian says the decision was to embrace both.
“Each flag represents a different chapter of our story,” he explained. “Flying both honors our history, reflects our present and reminds us that the work toward full equality is not finished.”
What I found most interesting wasn’t just the installation itself, but how it came together. When it came time to fund the project, Bedrosian reached out to local bars and restaurants in Hillcrest.
“Every single one of them stepped up without hesitation,” he said. “Knowing the flags represent a community of businesses that came together to invest in something bigger than themselves is what makes me the proudest.”
For Bedrosian, the real success isn’t measured by how many flags line University Avenue. It’s measured by how people feel when they see them.
“The message is simple,” he said. “You belong here. Whether you’re visiting Hillcrest for the first time, discovering who you are or looking for a place to call home, you are welcome, you are seen and you are safe.”
It’s remarkable how something as simple as a row of flags can say so much. They celebrate the generations who came before us, acknowledge those still fighting to be fully seen and remind everyone who walks these streets that Hillcrest remains exactly what it has always strived to be: a place where community comes first.