SF Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford lands on prestigious Out100 list
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Every year, OUT Magazine names 100 influential LGBTQ+ people in the community.
The list highlights leaders from activists to actors who are making a difference.
This year, Suzanne Ford, the head of San Francisco Pride, joins the prestigious OUT100 list.
Every June, San Francisco Pride marks a vibrant celebration of community.
"San Francisco Pride is one of the most unifying, if not the most unifying day in this city," Executive Director of SF Pride Suzanne Ford said. "Young LGBTQ people all over the country can come here and be accepted. Not just accepted -- you can be celebrated as part of San Francisco."
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Ford has always felt a connection to the annual San Francisco event.
"I remember as a kid seeing San Francisco Pride on the national news every year, and they would show it to shock you. And I'd be sitting in Kentucky going, 'Oh my God, if I could get there, I could find my people'," Ford said.
Today, as executive director, she feels that she is exactly where she was meant to be.
"I'm a white trans woman. I hid for many years. I just didn't think there was a world where I really could be true to be me, " Ford said. "And so, at 46, I came out, and I'm 60 years old, and I finally just got here to where I was supposed to be. I was supposed to be doing this work all along."
When former Executive Director Fred Lopez left the position only several months before Pride weekend, Ford knew she needed to do something.
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"I foolishly was like, 'Oh, I could do it'," Ford said. "I knew that it was going to be a monumental task and a really big opportunity."
Ford took over the position at one of the most challenging times in San Francisco Pride history.
"Coming out of the pandemic, we had spent down our reserves financially. We were just really struggling. I was treasurer at the time, and we had just decided, as a board, to go back and have our first in-person pride since 2019," Ford said.
Against all obstacles, San Francisco Pride returned as an in-person celebration in 2022.
"We got it done," Ford said. "It was one of the most joyous days."
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Looking forward, Ford's vision for San Francisco Pride extends well beyond one weekend in June.
"Our mission statement is to educate the world and liberate our people. Our job is to educate people that might be in the middle," Ford said.
Ford participates in talking engagements reaching out to many different communities.
"Maybe they don't know any trans people. Maybe they don't know any queer people," Ford said. "We are competent, loving people. We deserve every right, every ability to have a great life that you do."
Ford was recently selected by Out Magazine as one of the Out100, a list that recognizes 100 impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people.
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"The award is great. And I hope it gets used to fight the hate, the bigotry we are facing," Ford said. "We're not supposed to be in the closet. We're not supposed to be scared. We're supposed to be living big lives out loud and inviting as many people to be in it with us as we want."
Ford, already deeply involved in planning next year's event, is ready to face any challenges that stand in her way.
"I love this job. I love this place. I love this city. You can come here and bring your creative whole self and have this rich, beautiful life that was meant to be here. I was meant to be here in this moment," Ford said.
More information about SF Pride can be found here.
And you can read about the OUT 100 here or pick up the magazine on newsstands now.
