Equal rights will be the focus for many at this year's Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival, which gets under way Saturday.

The theme of the two-day event will be “Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights.”

Jack Schloeder, president of Greater Palm Springs Pride, said it's a reflection of the controversy that stemmed from the passage of Proposition 8.

The proposition, which voters passed last year, legally defined marriage as only between a man and a woman — thereby denying marriage to same-sex couples — in California.

“The participants can take whatever they want from that theme,” Schloeder said. “It will be most reflected in the parade.”

Equality California, the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations, which support same-sex marriage, will have a presence during the festival, Schloeder said.

Geoff Kors, executive director with Equality California, said educating the public about the issue of equal rights is central to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Kors said members of the organization will work during the festival to sign up volunteers.

“As we move into one of the most important election years in California, where the governor and legislature will be up for grabs, now is the most important time to get involved with (educating) people about the issues,” Kors said.

The festival is expected to draw about 20,000 people.

Attendees can once again enjoy the Country Western Dance Tent, which will be revived after it was discontinued for two years because of a lack of sponsorship, Schloeder said.

The parade on Sunday is expected to include 82 entries with gay-rights activist Cleve Jones as the grand marshal. The procession will take place along Palm Canyon Drive in downtown.