Rob Darrow, Good Times
Marriage equality and a marriage date in June 2008 are what connect the Santa Cruz Pride 2026 Grand Marshals.
Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin has been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality since her days as the Santa Cruz County Clerk, which began in 1993. She has been at almost every Santa Cruz Pride since living in Santa Cruz and was first elected to the Assembly, where she has been a tireless advocate of equality for all people. In June 2008, she was honored to officiate at the first Santa Cruz County official same sex marriage of Dinah Phillips and Gail Groves.
They had worked out as many legal arrangements as they possibly could when they met and became a couple in Santa Cruz in 1982. Phillips explains, “We set up a legal partnership through the California State Secretary of State in hopes we could at least have a family membership at the local gym, but even that did not work.”
Groves adds, “We never dreamed we would ever be legally married.”
They had been together for 25 years when the State Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage was legal in California. It wasn’t until 2015 when the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in the case Obergefell v. Hodges that same sex marriage was legal throughout the U.S.
In a recent radio show, Pellerin reflected about those years when same sex marriage was legal and how recent actions by the federal government against LGBTQ+ remind all of us that all of us need to continually stand up for our rights. She explained, “Even today, we see attacks to our LGBTQ+ community and threats to all the rights that we have fought so hard for. We need to continue advocating. One example of advocating was getting Proposition 3 passed in 2024, which enshrined the right to same-sex marriage into the California Constitution. That was one of the first legislative acts I signed onto when I was elected in 2022.”
Groves and Phillips went on living their lives in the lesbian community in a variety of ways. Groves was a former member of Santa Cruz Women Against Rape and was a founding member of the Santa Cruz Women’s Self-Defense Collective and taught self-defense to women and girls for over 20 years and co-authored a book about women’s self-defense.
Phillips worked as an analyst and Public Information Officer for the County Administrative Office until her retirement. She participated in a performance of The Laramie Project with Pisces Moon Productions in 2009. Together, Phillips and Groves have been members of Peace United Church for many years, helping out with various ministries.
When they were named 2026 Grand Marshals, Groves and Phillips stated that “We were surprised and honored to be part of the 2026 Santa Cruz Pride Grand Marshals. We love the SC Pride parade because it has such a nice hometown feel, and we see so many friends either marching or standing watching.” Phillips also recalled, “I remember marching in my first Santa Cruz parade, sometime in the early 1980s. I was working in County government, and I was really scared that some of the more conservative department heads or supervisors would see me. Gail was very supportive and encouraged me to go with her anyway, and I had a great time.“
Pellerin added: “Being named a Santa Cruz Pride Grand Marshal alongside Dinah and Gail means everything to me. Almost 20 years ago, I had one of the best days of my professional life officiating their wedding. I experienced, alongside our community, the joy of progress, the heartbreak of rights being taken away, and the determination it took to win them back. This recognition feels personal because it reflects that shared journey, our resilience, and the ongoing fight for equality.”
The Santa Cruz Pride Parade steps off with over 70 contingents at 11am Sunday in downtown Santa Cruz.
