Pride and inclusion lead Super Bowl event
SAN FRANCISCO - Pride lit up the night in San Francisco on Friday as the fifth annual A Night of Pride with GLAAD took center stage, one of the NFL’s signature LGBTQ-focused events of Super Bowl week.
Hosted by NFL Network’s Kimmi Chex, the star-studded celebration highlighted inclusion, authenticity, and belonging in sports. The evening featured standout performances from Puerto Rico’s Young Miko, 2026 Grammy winner Durand Bernarr, Bay Area rapper Ruby Ibarra, and DJ Lady Ryan, turning the venue into both a party and a powerful statement on representation.
Setting the tone for the night, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis addressed attendees with visible excitement, reflecting on how far the movement has come.
"Never in my lifetime did I think I’d see GLAAD and the NFL together — and here we are," Ellis said. "For over 40 years, GLAAD has worked to spread LGBTQ visibility and allyship, and it’s only fitting we’re in the city that has always led this work: San Francisco. Thank you, San Francisco, for being a leader for generations."
While celebrating progress and the well-needed path toward inclusivity, Ellis also shared sobering data. The GLAAD ALERT Desk tracked 1,042 anti-LGBTQ incidents across 47 states and the District of Columbia in 2025, underscoring why spaces of acceptance remain critical.
"The rhetoric we see online and in the news has real-world consequences," Ellis said. "But the antidote is in this room — we are the anecdote. The NFL, from Commissioner Roger Goodell to the players, is a true partner in all of this. Their history of inclusion runs deep."
As Super Bowl weekend unfolds, events like this remind fans that representation matters — and that the biggest stage in sports can also serve as a platform for pride, visibility, and belonging.
Bay Area rapper Ruby Ibarra echoed that sentiment, calling the gathering a meaningful moment for the host city.
"I think it’s a great event to bring the community — such a great Super Bowl moment, something we really needed here," she said.
For 2026 Grammy Award winner Durand Bernarr, the night carried a message of connection and care.
"We need to lean on one another," Bernarr said. "Lean on those who you can be yourself around — people that embrace you, calling you in when you are not at your best."
Courtesy: Estefany Méndez
But beyond the music, organizers emphasized the importance of unity and community support, especially as some resources for LGBTQ Americans face uncertainty.
Community also means backing from one of the world’s largest sporting platforms — the NFL — a league that continues evolving toward greater visibility and inclusion.
Long before that progress, trailblazers helped pave the way.
Legendary San Francisco 49ers head athletic trainer Lindsy McLean — a five-time Super Bowl champion who served from 1979 to 2003 — publicly came out as gay after retiring, a moment that helped shift conversations across professional sports.
"And I was sort of a member of the LGBT community for many years, working with the 49ers. Well, we never talked about it. And I survived," McLean reflected. "And I’m glad that when I did retire and came out, that I publicly acknowledged what I was and who I was. It was probably one of the best things I ever did."
Lindsy McLean, legendary NFL Athletic Trainer for the San Francisco 49ers
That message of creating safe spaces through inclusion and representation carried onto the stage, where Young Miko spoke about the significance of the night.
"I love to be part of a special event, with special people who stand out for a right cause. It is always amazing to be surrounded by my own," she said.
Miko’s talent has made her a strong queer voice in the Latin rap scene. For many fans, she is more than a chart-topping artist — she is viewed as an advocate for the LGBTQ community and a champion for those who often feel unseen.
And with just one day to go before Bad Bunny’s historic halftime performance — and a fellow Puerto Rican star already energizing the Bay — fans are wondering whether he might bring Young Miko onto the global stage, just as he did during his residency back home.
Bad Bunny has not revealed whether surprise guests are part of the show. But adding another powerhouse artist from Puerto Rico alongside a Puerto Rican Sign Language interpreter could further elevate a performance already expected to make history.