Events
Best of LGBTQ LA 2023
Sixth annual special issue celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. Twenty thousand Blade readers then voted and the winners are presented here
LOS ANGELES – Welcome to the sixth annual special issue of the Best of LGBTQ LA! The Los Angeles Blade is proud to celebrate the best of our community as this special recognition issue becomes a Los Angeles tradition.
The year for LGBTQ people and families has been uniquely challenging and the accomplishments made throughout this past year seem more relevant than ever. We got past some of the pandemic restrictions, but anti-LGBTQ forces got more aggressive and violent. It was a year in which we relived the attempted insurrection from the year prior while learning details of all that happened behind the scenes, and who was responsible. It was also a year when LGBTQ families and our gender non-conforming population came under direct political and physical attacks.
In Los Angeles, we had a change of leadership after enduring our own local scandals tainted with racism and homophobia. Through it all, our community did not allow our fabulousness to dim. We are strong and know how to fight back. This could not be more evident as you enjoy these highlights of Los Angeles living that demonstrate the best of LA’s LGBTQ community.
Los Angeles Blade readers nominated finalists; the top five vote getters in each category were then added to the final ballot. Twenty thousand Blade readers then voted and the winners are presented here. The Blade staff congratulates each of this year’s winners and finalists.
LGBTQ Icon Sheila Kuehl Honored with Hero Award presented by the Ariadne Getty Foundation
By Karen Ocamb | WEST HOLLYWOOD – “I haven’t been this happy since I was in my 20s,” says out former Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who will celebrate her 82nd birthday on Feb. 9. “The freedom of deciding or not deciding every day what you want to do without any weight on you, without any expectations on you, without any demands on you, is enormously freeing and really, really pleasant.”
After almost three decades as an elected leader and actively fighting for progressive issues, Kuehl’s final day in office representing the Third District was Nov. 22, 2022 — a day filled with celebration and grateful tears shed by colleagues and friends.
Now she’ll have time to write. The working title for her planned autobiography is “My Life As I Remember It: Probably a Novel.”
Much of that life has been in service of advancing LGBTQ rights, for which Kuehl is being honored by the Los Angeles Blade and the Ari Getty Foundation on Jan. 18 at 10 DTLA during the Blade’s Best of LGBTQ LA Readers’ Choice Awards 2023.
In an odd flash of fickle fate, Kuehl culminated her long legislative career in much the way as she began it — protected by bodyguards from threatening bullies. In 1994, the bullies were knuckle-dragging followers of Far Right rhetorical bombastic bomb-thrower Newt Gingrich. Today, the bullies are followers of Gingrich’s heir, Donald Trump, some of whom the Department of Justice considers domestic terrorists.
In Kuehl’s case, her primary bully was LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who LA Magazine dubbed “the Donald Trump of L.A. Law Enforcement.” Last Sept. 14, after two years of fiercely fighting Villanueva over alleged LASD wrongdoing, a slew of Sheriff’s deputies pounded on Kuehl’s door at 7:00am, served her with a search warrant in a corruption investigation, and escorted her outside barefoot to a face a throng of reporters and TV news cameras.
The raid was big news but backfired on Villanueva, who subsequently lost his bid for re-election. The LA Times reported succinctly: “A Times review of the case found it is based on the testimony of just one person, a former Metro employee named Jennifer Loew, who brought her bribery complaint to at least four law enforcement agencies, but found a receptive audience only at the Sheriff’s Department. The Times found no evidence to support Loew’s allegation.”
1994 was also a year of living dangerously. Gingrich was elevated to the traditionally respected position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives and pledged to implement his anti-gay, lie-based Contract with America, civility be damned. Meanwhile Kuehl and her best friend Torie Osborn were watching a new LGBTQ movement grow and get stronger as thousands of LGBTQ people, AIDS activists, Queer Nationals and allies took over the streets in 1991 after California GOP Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed AB 101, the gay rights bill he had promised to sign.
“Thousands and thousands of us were on the street, as opposed to just being in the closet and hiding in a lot of shame,” says Kuehl. “I had not really thought about running. I was engaged in more of the Women’s Movement, especially domestic violence issues, sexual assault issues, trying to get any law in California to deal with domestic violence, which it didn’t have at the time. We founded the California Women’s Law Center.
“There was a lot going on in the ’70s and ’80s and there was a lot to push back against,” Kuehl continues. “There’s a difference between working towards something when there’s nothing there and working to gain something back — like the loss of Roe v Wade (the federal law permitting abortion). Our expectations grew, but there was nothing in place to protect us. I actually had not thought about running. But I had been up and back to Sacramento many times testifying on new domestic violence bills that I helped to draft before I was elected and I understood from sitting for so many hours at committee hearings that there was no silver bullet genius talent in these members, that they were just like me — and in some cases, less capable because they hadn’t been to law school. They didn’t really understand the issues.”
Then, on Jan. 17, 1994, two earthquakes happened at once – the Northridge earthquake and Kuehl’s decision to enter politics.
“There was broken glass and fallen pictures and glasses and everything all over my house. I picked up the LA Times and it says, ‘Terry’s not running,’” she recalls, referring to Assemblymember Terry Friedman. “I think, ‘Okay, this is my chance if I’m going to be one of those people sitting in those chairs and try to make a difference.’ I started exploring running, and frankly, I didn’t think at that moment about how historic it would be. I didn’t think about being the first gay person if I got through whatever. I felt more like a feminist progressive that needed to be there to add that voice to the table.”
Kuehl quickly discovered that she was making history. But her victory as the first gay person elected to the California State Legislature was fraught with danger, with so many death threats, then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown ordered a bodyguard for her protection. “I had to wear a bulletproof vest the whole first year that I was in the legislature,” Kuehl told Spectrum News1.
But braving those threats and doing the work, then and now, is not the only reason Sheila Kuehl is an LGBTQ hero. She recognizes her place in the largely invisible long span of LGBTQ history.
“Just as people have said they’re standing on my shoulders,” Kuehl says, “I stood on a lot of shoulders, too.”
West Hollywood’s Mayor Sepi Shyne honored with a Stop the Hate award
Mayor Sepi Shyne made history in November 2020 when she was elected becoming the first out LGBTQ Iranian elected anywhere globally and the first woman of color elected to West Hollywood’s City Council. Actively progressive in her politics, Shyne is constantly seeking to improve the lives of her constituents, friends, family, and the greater community of the City affectionately referred to as WeHo.
“West Hollywood is a vibrant tourist destination and one of the most walkable as well as LGBTQ+ safe cities in America. Our visitors and residents love to frequent our businesses, so helping to keep them in business is a priority. One of my joys of living in West Hollywood is walking down the street to neighborhood restaurants or cafes and enjoying a meal or an oat milk latte,” Shyne told the Blade in an interview after her first anniversary of being sworn into office on December 7, 2021.
As a woman of color and as a minority as well, Shyne is keen to maintain awareness of the ongoing needs of the diverse communities that comprise her city. “Aside from COVID, the social justice movement impacted the City of West Hollywood by awakening our community to the truth that systemic racism, even in our progressive city, needs to be dismantled,” she noted.
After her sister was sworn into office as Mayor earlier this month at City Hall, in which the Mayor and her mother opened the ceremony with comments in their native Fārsī language, Soodi Eshraghi, made a few poignant remarks:
“Good evening mayor, mayor pro-tem and council members, my name is Soodi Eshraghi, I am incoming mayor Shyne’s sister, representing the Baha’i Faith.
A little girl with big brown eyes frightened in a new country and not speaking the language. In her short years this little girl had experienced the trauma of war as well as the compulsory hijab which forced her to cut her hair short, choose a boy’s name to be able to play on the streets with her cousins. Yet, her resilience and tenacity allowed her to overcome challenges faced by many immigrants and build a life for herself and become a lawyer. Her choice of academia was a reflection of her passion for justice and equality. Her decision to run for office was for the same exact reason, and more. Her ultimate goal is to make a difference in the lives of those around her, bringing about opportunities conducive for betterment of life, especially her constituents. Mayor Sepi Ghafouri Shyne, your family is extremely proud of you and we are always ready to support you every step of the way.
The prayer I’ll be reciting from the Baha’i writings is on the destiny of America with the hope that this nation can become promulgator of peace and the oneness of humanity.
O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee.
These hearts are radiant with Thy love.
These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings.
O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious.
Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world.
O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy.
Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
Best Drag Performer: Lolita Colby
Lolita Colby is now a 10-year drag veteran, having launched her career in a Miami bar. She now creates legendary moments at Rocco’s in West Hollywood. “I don’t know if this is a cliché or not, but it takes a really strong man to put on a dress,” says this year’s Best Drag Performer winner. Given the current right-wing attack climate in the United States, that statement is truer than ever. “Many drag artists do not realize the importance we bring to the community. Drag artists break boundaries. We stand up against the norm. We do a lot of things that other people are afraid of.” Lolita’s 30,000 TikTok followers, 18,000 Instagram followers, and a host of LA Blade readers agree with her fan that called her “Absolutely Gorgeous.”
Runner Up: GottMik
Best Drag Show: Makeout Mondays at Rocco’s
Last year’s Editor’s Choice is this year’s winner. The 5,000-square-foot Rocco’s, located at 8900 Santa Monica Blvd., wowed boystown with the best drag on the LA scene. Crowds flocked to the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente in the heart of WeHo. “This is the funnest place EVER and their drag shows are so much fun! The food is great and the atmosphere is awesome!” wrote a happy visitor. A second chimed in, “They have some epic drag shows that are different and entertaining!” LA Blade readers obviously agreed.
Editor’s choice: Thirsty Thursdays at Beaches, West Hollywood
Best Influencer: Gigi Gorgeous
The LA Blade’s Best of 2020 winner, Gigi Gorgeous, again takes the top spot. Gigi is a YouTube star, transgender activist, author, television personality, actress, and model. With nearly 8 million followers across her social platforms, she has almost half a billion views on her popular YouTube channel. She is a self described “lover of beauty, fashion, and a good party.”
Runner Up: Ambers Closet
Best Queer Artist: Nats Getty
(Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium)
Check out Nats Getty’s “Undecided 10” signed art prints. Writer Karen Ocamb said of him, “Nats Getty was an artist long before he knew it. His soul was forged in the fight between the fire of freedom and the cold dictates of a society he tried mightily to understand and follow, only to fail and fall into rebellion, a fury of authenticity that still feeds his art and serves his independent, progressive, philanthropic spirit today.” Getty himself stated, “Philanthropy — and advocacy — is something that is very important to me. I made 600 masks that were donated to hospitals and nursing homes on the frontlines, and 400 masks for the Strike Oil website, where 100 percent of proceeds have gone to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank…Everything I create from a jacket to an art piece has a story and serves a purpose in my personal journey.” LA Blade readers cheered his generous spirit and named him this year’s best artist.
Runner up: Guadalupe Rosales
Best LGBTQ Bar: Heart
Heart WeHo threw what it called “the biggest most lavish NYE celebration in West Hollywood” with three DJs, two levels, and two packed rooms of dancing and featured DJ Liza Rodriguez from Brazil. The premier watch party for the premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was a sold out “amazing night of love.” Patrons call Heart “the happening spot” and “super fun.” LA Blade readers voted in kind.
Editor’s choice: Bar 10
Best Brunch: The Abbey
Patrons cite a “fabulous outdoor terrace” and “fun ambiance” for making the “world famous” Abbey this year’s go-to spot for brunch. The Abbey launched 31 years ago as a small coffee house by David Cooley as a safe space for the gay community. “Come as you are,” was its mantra. The stained glass window décor inspired the religious-themed name and atmosphere. LA Blade readers got religion this year and brunch toasted The Abbey as the best.
Editor’s choice: Stache West Hollywood
Best Restaurant: The Nice Guy
With a delicious menu that ranges from roasted veggies to exotic pizzas (lobster pizza with sunny vodka sauce anyone?), to incredible pasta, steak, and seafood, The Nice Guy has been named this year’s best. The aesthetic is described as “decadent Mafia” that brings a unique social experience encouraging conversation and camaraderie. As they say, thanks to the mafioso deliciousness and good vibes, if LA Blade readers tried to escape, The Nice Guy just keeps pulling them back in again.
Editor’s choice: Bottega Louie
Best Radio or TV Station: KTLA
This year KTLA aired the annual telethon in support of Project Angel Food’s vital work of feeding critically ill men, women, and children in Los Angeles County. Janene Drafs, vice president and general manager of KTLA 5, told the LA Blade, “This show gets better and better every year, and we are thrilled to extend our relationship with Project Angel Food. KTLA has a 75-year tradition of being there for LA, so providing this very special program to connect our community of viewers with Project Angel Food’s work serving the most vulnerable in our community at large is what being ‘L.A.’s Very Own’ is all about.” With more than 400 LGBTQ relevant stories on its website, KTLA has demonstrated that it has its finger on the pulse of LGBTQ interests. From tracking U.S. progress on LGBT rights to reporting that California reached the milestone of 10% of its legislature being LGBTQ, KTLA is there for the community. LA Blade readers show their gratitude by calling them the best.
Editor’s choice: 104.3 Pride
Best Cannabis Retailer/Lounge: Green Qween
Business partners Andres Rigal and Taylor Bazley launched Green Qween as “a queer-driven cannabis dispensary in an industry where LGBTQ+ and BIPOC representation have been lacking.” Donating a portion of proceeds to the DTLA Proud Community Center, Green Qween sees itself as an incubator for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC cannabis brands and growers. LA Blade readers just see them as the best.
Editor’s choice: The Artist Tree
Best LGBTQ-Owned Business: Cake and Art
Cake and Art has proudly served the community since 1976. It is the renowned producer of custom cakes, cupcakes, and more. They brag, “For 46 years, Cake and Art has specialized in imaginative birthday cakes for Hollywood’s biggest entertainment industries and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Clinton, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and many more.” Cake and Art was founded by Glenn von Kickle when he was 45 years old. Glenn, who’s gay, started the shop where he could be himself, and in a community that would appreciate what he was doing. Current owner Tom Rosa came on board as a business partner, and became the spirit that made sure von Kickle’s legacy endured. Cake and Art’s history arcs between being the place to get the cake no one else will think of, or attempt, to heroes of the anti-same sex wedding cake wars. When gay marriage started, they filled the gap for many consumers rejected by their usual bakeries. As for being “LGBTQ owned,” Tom has said “I’ve never been considered ‘the gay bakery’…I was sitting there thinking, what does that mean? What are the parameters of a gay bakery? Is it creative? Is it sensational? Is it fabulous? Do we all dress in rainbow?” Well Tom, whatever it means, it means that you have been voted the best of them.
Editor’s choice: Urban Pet
Best LGBT Social Group: Impulse Group LA
Impulse is doing something right. They have won this category for three years in a row. Impulse Group LA was founded in 2009 by Jose Ramos. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a stronger and healthier community for gay men. Hosting more than 400 events annually in 25 cities, 12 countries across 5 continents across the globe, Impulse seeks to create a brave space to engage, support and connect our community. This year their outreach included HIV testing, a strong showing for World AIDS day, and embarking on a fight against Monkey Pox.
Editor’s choice: Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Best House of Worship: Congregation Kol Ami
In 2019, 2021 and 2022, Congregation Kol Ami won the award for Best House of Worship. In 2020 it won Editor’s Choice, and now wins the award yet again for the Best House of Worship this year. Kol Ami is an important leader in the Jewish, LGBTQ, and West Hollywood communities since its founding in 1992. Rabbi Denise L. Eger, who plans to retire in 2024, broke barriers that resulted in more LGBTQ inclusion at synagogues worldwide. Kol Ami describes itself as “a progressive, Reform congregation rooted in a rich Jewish tradition, with commitment to social justice, diversity, and a world in which all individuals are honored and connected. Our congregation celebrates an LGBTQ+ core at the center of a profoundly diverse community.” (1200 N La Brea Ave, West Hollywood)
Editor’s choice: InVision Church Los Angeles
Most Committed Activist: Gabby Leon and Terri Jay
Gabby Leon and Terri Jay jointly came to the realization that there was a need for an event to create visibility and celebration of the Two Spirit identities. The concept of a festival that celebrated and honored Native American LBGTQ roles and traditions was born. The idea blossomed into a reality and Los Angeles now has the cultural Indigenous Pride LA, which “honors, and acknowledges all indigenous peoples’ plight, especially those who are Two Spirit and/or identified with the contemporary labels and terms of cisgender and transgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual, and intersex.”
Editor’s choice: Princess Murray
Favorite Public Official: Karen Bass
(Photo Credit: Bass for Mayor Campaign)
On Nov. 17, Karen Bass spoke to Los Angeles for the first time as its first woman and second Black mayor. She addressed economic hardship and declared a state of emergency over the homeless crisis. Vice President Kamala Harris has stated of Bass, “I saw how she would tirelessly fight for the people … the people of our state and the people of our nation. Karen Bass has a long history of always being on the side of people, fighting for the people.” The people who read the Blade have embraced that reputation and declared her their favorite public official.
Runner-Up: Lindsey Horvath
Most LGBTQ-Friendly City: West Hollywood
There are some who will claim that the city of West Hollywood is perfect. In terms of being the most LGBTQ-Friendly City, they may be right. The city was born out of a determined campaign by LGBTQ activists, seniors, and renters on Nov. 29, 1984. The city has a rich history and can be credited for launching iconic rock and punk musical acts. With approximately 39,000 residents, it has been called “Los Angeles’ hottest destination for the entertainment industry.” It boasts celebrity-owned bars and restaurants, unparalleled nightlife and shopping. It hosts world impacting events like the HBO Emmy Party, Sir Elton John’s Annual Oscar Party, WEST HOLLYWOOD PRIDE and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, the largest Halloween street party in the world. Many feel that West Hollywood sets a standard for super creative individuals representing the state-of-the-art on trends and new ideas.
As far as West Hollywood being “perfect”, the Human Rights Campaign has the receipts. It scored West Hollywood as earning 100 out of 100 possible in terms of LGBTQ friendliness. LA Blade readers already knew that as they name West Hollywood the friendliest city for the fourth year in a row.
Editor’s choice: Beverly Hills
Best Local Pro Sports Team: LA Dodgers
Things have changed since 1970. That year, Dodgers player Glenn Burke was traded away when the owners found out he was gay. What a difference half a century makes. This year, the Dodgers kicked off Pride month in LA with their game against the New York Mets. Burke’s family threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch and 18,000 special Pride packages to the game were sold. Fans showed up in droves wearing rainbow paraphernalia and Pride caps and jerseys were available for purchase. So, yes, things have changed and LA readers have declared the Dodgers the best local team for the third year in a row.
Editor’s choice: LA Sparks
Best Realtor: Josh Flagg
Josh Flagg, an original cast member on the show “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” on Bravo, represents more than a decade’s worth of high-end deals in the real estate industry. He has wowed the Los Angeles real estate market. Flagg, who’s gay, has sold well over $2 billion worth of property and is among the city’s top five real estate agents. He has represented many American billionaire families such as the Gettys and DeBartolos. Adam Levine, Shonda Rhimes and Steve Aoki are also clients.
Editor’s choice: Compass
Best LGBTQ Ally: California Gov. Gavin Newsom
(Official White House photo by Adam Schultz)
As Florida and Texas all but declared war on transgender kids and their families, one governor did more than shake his head in shock and disbelief. He did something about it. On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill, one of many LGBTQ affirming of the year, that aims to legally protect trans youth and their parents who need to flee conservative states due to personal persecution and the oppression of gender-affirming care availability. His statement read, “States across the country are passing laws to demonize the transgender community especially transgender youth and their parents… the hate demonstrated by these laws is unfathomable and contributed to soaring suicide rates… This is unacceptable and we must fight for our youth and their parents.”
Editor’s choice: Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union
Best Salon/Spa: Spa Montage
Spa Montage’s clients are raving. “The best spa in LA,” states one. “Very old school glam, full of antique style and old world charm,” declares another. Yet another goes right to the heart of a good spa: “The team here is just fantastic.” Goop also professes its love, “From prenatal massages to really good facials, the Montage is one of those luxe hotel spots that pulls no punches when it comes to pampering.” LA Blade readers agree.
Editor’s choice: Burke Williams
Best Car Dealership: Honda of Hollywood
Honda of Hollywood is deservedly proud. “At Honda of Hollywood, we strive for excellence during every visit. Our team of experts is here to help you with all of your automotive needs…Whether you’re from Hollywood, Los Angeles, or another city, get in touch with our team to experience superior customer service,” they state. “Great staff, friendly service, feels like a small family-like environment” promises one customer. “Amazing dealership. Recommend 100%,” states a second. LA Blade readers have test driven them into being the Best Car Dealership for the second year in a row.
Editor’s choice: BMW of Beverly Hills
Best Doctor/Medical Provider: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the largest provider of HIV/AIDS healthcare in the world. It currently has 1,725,070 patients in care across 45 countries. As a global non-profit, it provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy. Their float in this year’s Rose Parade was “No Place Like Home.” Their local fans, and LA Blade readers, agreed naming them the year’s best for the third year in a row.
Editor’s choice: Cedars-Sinai
Best Fitness: LA Fitness, Hollywood
LA Fitness can tell you why you should get fit with them. “LA Fitness offers many amenities at an outstanding value. Gym amenities may feature Functional Training, state-of-the-art equipment, basketball, group fitness classes, pool, saunas, personal training, and more!” Its clients call out its wide range of equipment, friendly staff, great classes and convenient parking. For the second year in a row, LA Blade readers have named LA Fitness the best.
Editor’s choice: Crunch, West Hollywood
Most LGBTQ-Friendly Workplace: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been an Editor’s Choice for most LGBTQ-Friendly workplace, and this year the LA Blade readers agree, voting it into the top spot. AHF represents the consistently excellent work of doctors, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, med techs, benefits counselors, and support staff at 14 AHF Healthcare Centers and satellite clinics throughout Southern California. A recent employee reports, “The people here are so welcoming and full of joy. Corporate also does a great job of making you feel included and often have outreach events.”
Editor’s choice: Getty Museum
Best Non-Profit: LA LGBT Center
Founded in 1969, The Los Angeles LGBT Center provides programs and services for LGBTQ people. The organization’s mission centers on four key areas: health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy.
This year, as a response to the 2021 Hate Crime Report from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, the Center made an even deeper commitment to the LGBTQ community to fight: “I have served our Los Angeles community for nearly 17 years, and it pains me to say that I have never been more concerned for our collective safety than I am right now,” said Terra Russell-Slavin, Chief Impact Officer at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “Across the country, armed white supremacists are showing up en masse to intimidate drag performers. Hospitals and healthcare facilities that provide care to transgender patients are closing their doors to bomb threats. Our nightclubs and safe spaces are being threatened and attacked. And our trans community is being deliberately targeted by far-right groups and our lawmakers on a daily basis. It’s not surprising that we see the ripple effects of that violence here in Los Angeles. I hope our community knows that their Center will fight like hell for them, and will always be here as a place of refuge.” LA Blade readers seem to understand the importance and need for the LA LGBT Center in these growingly contentious times, naming them the Best Non-Profit of the year.
Editor’s choice: Project Angel Food
Best Museum/Art Gallery: The Getty
The Getty is a Los Angeles treasure. In its two locations, it represents more than 6,000 years of art. Besides a library collection of books, archives, and services, the museum holds more than 100,000 artwork images as well as special collections. The Getty Center, with its bird’s eye view of Los Angeles, is located in Brentwood and showcases European art amid modern architecture. Its second location is the Getty Villa Museum, which lies along the coast and displays ancient Greek and Roman art in a recreated Roman house. The Getty embarks on numerous philanthropic projects including several supporting the LGBTQ community. LA Blade readers have shown their appreciation for the second year in a row by naming the Getty as the Best Museum of the year.
Editor’s choice: LACMA
Best Theater: Geffen Playhouse
The Geffen Playhouse, located in Westwood, is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It has been a key hub for theater in Los Angeles since its opening and produces plays in two theaters in the Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. Patrons compliment it on its breadth of productions, excellent staff, and comfortable seating. LGBTQ audiences have appreciated works like “The Inheritance,” which cited key LGBTQ history allusions. In support of the play’s theme and to give audiences a sense of context, The Geffen published a “dramaturgical deep dive” into LGBTQ history on its website.
The Geffen has made diversity a mission. Its commitment includes this statement: “In recognition of the essential examination of systemic racism and injustices, we at Geffen Playhouse commit to continued analysis and expansion of our own institutional practices in order to be part of the solution. Our vision for the Geffen is that people of all races, faiths, sexual orientations, abilities, genders and backgrounds find it an easily accessible and highly relevant source of art that reflects the dynamic human experience and galvanizes a more equitable and vibrant community.” For this, and great theater, LA Blade readers have deemed them the Best Theater in LA.
Editor’s choice: Pantages/Broadway in Hollywood
Best Music Venue: The Hollywood Bowl
Two years ago, the Hollywood Bowl won for Best Virtual A&E Events. Last year it was named the Best A&E Venue. This year, it won again – for Best Music Venue. This can only lead you to conclude that live or virtual, artistically or musically, in the eyes of LA Blade readers, it is perennially the best. Since its opening in 1922, the Hollywood Bowl has been the premier destination for live music, hosting everyone from Billie Holiday to The Beatles to Yo-Yo Ma under the iconic silhouette of its concentric-arched band shell. This past year saw such LGBTQ-friendly acts as Ricky Martin and Grace Jones. Can this year top that? Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Game of Thrones and Janet Jackson will surely try.
Editor’s choice: The Walt Disney Concert Hall
Most LGBTQ-Friendly Entertainment Company: Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery tells us that they are “the stuff that dreams are made of.” They are a relatively new combined company. The new company combined WarnerMedia’s premium entertainment, sports, and news assets with Discovery’s leading non-fiction and international entertainment and sports businesses. The combination is a premier global media and entertainment company that promises to offer us the “most differentiated and complete portfolio of content, brands and franchises across television, film, streaming and gaming.” Hyperbole aside, they brought us “White Lotus” and gay boys Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen to welcome in the new year. LA Blade readers were impressed.
Editor’s choice: The Walt Disney Company
Best Screenwriter: Ryan Murphy
It is no surprise that LA Blade readers called out Ryan Murphy as the best screenwriter of the year. The bigger question is — for which script? Murphy is prolific, having written literally hundreds of scripts in 2022. He wrote scripts for his “American Horror Stories,” “Dahmer-Monster, the Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” “9-1-1,” “9-1-1 Lone Star,” “American Horror Story,” “The Watcher,” and “Ratched” shows. The new year does not promise a slowdown. Upcoming, he scripts the mini-series “A Chorus Line,” the series “Consent,” and the TV movie “One Hit Wonders.”
Editor’s choice: Our Lady J
Best Actor: Laverne Cox
The iconic Laverne Cox impressed LA Blade readers this year. She, of course, is the American actress and highly visible LGBTQ advocate. She burst on the scene with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.” This gave her the notoriety of becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category. In 2015, she was the first trans woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer for “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.” In 2017, she became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast TV as Cameron Wirth on CBS’s “Doubt.” This year, LA Blade readers were impressed by her performance as Kacy Duke in the mini-series “Inventing Anna.”
Editor’s choice: Jennifer Coolidge
Favorite Musical Artist: Cardi B
This year, the famed Grammy-winning “WAP” rapper seemed to impress LA Blade readers as much with her pro-LGBTQ candor as she did with her talent. She ended the previous year as an officiant at a same-sex wedding, “I’m going to get these two beautiful ladies married. It’s not only a special day for you guys, but it’s a special day for me, and I want to thank you for making me a part of your beautiful journey,” she said at the time. This year, she slapped down those who wanted to doubt or play down her bisexuality. “I ate bitches out before you was born …..Sorry I don’t have razr phone pics to prove it to you,” she snarked on Twitter. Just in case you are not yet clear on where she stands in regard to LGBTQ people, she made the point clear: “If you homophobic you just ugly.” Her favoritism by our readers appears to be well-earned.
Editor’s choice: Dolly Parton
Best LGBTQ Event: GLAAD Awards
Last year, the annual GLAAD awards was a star-studded ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills hosted by Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and DJ “Shangela” Pierce. The ceremony included appearances by Andrew Garfield, Troye Sivan, JoJo Siwa, Jasmin Savoy-Brown, Mira Sorvino, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and more. Anti-trans legislation and the “Don’t Say Gay” bills were addressed during the show. President and CEO Kate Ellis denounced the hateful political activities in her speech, “These bills are designed to erase us as a community, but GLAAD will not let that happen. We have never been more committed to our vision of a world where everyone can live the life that they love.” With that, LA Blade readers expressed their love for GLAAD.
Editor’s choice: DragCon LA
Best Regional Pride: LA PRIDE
Our readers were torn over this category. It was the closest vote in all of the categories, but LA Pride just barely edged out WeHo Pride for Best Regional Pride.
Readers were blown away by the events Parade, which drew a massive crowd of more than 130,000 people to the streets of Hollywood.
When the first L.A. Pride Parade, which was organized by Rev. Bob Humphries, Morris Kight and Rev. Troy Perry (founder, Metropolitan Community Church) organized the world’s first permitted LGBTQ+ Pride parade, held on June 28, 1970 in Los Angeles, such numbers were unimaginable.
The 2022 parade, like the original parade returned to its roots after decades of being hosted by the City of West Hollywood, starting at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga in Hollywood and running along Hollywood Blvd., Highland Avenue and Sunset Blvd. 2022 parade goers might be surprised to learn that the first parade also attracted a massive crowd of more than 50,000.
The return of LA Pride was not only a return to its roots, it was also a return to Pride in Los Angeles in general after a 2 year Covid-hiatus.
Readers were also excited by the massive LA Pride Festival, branded “LA Pride in the Park” for 2022 in Los Angeles State Historic Park, featuring electric performances by Christina Aguilera, Anitta Bob the Drag Queen, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and over 20 other sizzling acts. Over 20,000 ticketed fans were in attendance for this first festival outside of West Hollywood since 1984.
WeHo Pride Weekend also saw exuberant celebrations for it’s first solo Pride execution, an event managed by events company JJLA. It was held in and around West Hollywood Park that included a free street fair that represented a diverse array of LGBTQ+ community groups; a three-day ticketed OUTLOUD Raising Voices Music Festival, the Dyke March and Women’s Freedom Festival, and an inaugural WeHo Pride Parade.
Editor’s choice: WeHo Pride and DTLA PROUD
Best Hotel: Sunset Tower
The New York Times called it “Hollywood’s Grand Dame Hotel.” LA Blade readers just called it the year’s best. With a dramatic setting on the Sunset Strip and elegant Art Deco styling, the Sunset Tower was designed in 1929 by architect Leland A. Bryant. It boasts former residents Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Billie Burke, Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Zasu Pitts, and even gangster Bugsy Siegel. Hotelier Jeff Klein purchased the building in 2004, enlisting designer Paul Fortune to revive the property’s classic art deco style and then in 2018, Klein put his personal touch on another refresh, restoring the Sunset Tower’s heart and soul while not compromising its character. The hotel’s rooms were elegantly refurbished and its famous Tower Bar was expanded to include a dark and sexy bar, reimagined restaurant, and updated pool area. Further additions have included a bright and airy 7,000-square-foot gym in John Wayne’s former apartment, and the Joanna Vargas Spa one level above offering expert facials and massages.
Editor’s choice: San Vincente Bungalows
Best Coverage of LGBTQ Issues by a Mainstream News Outlet: John Fenoglio of KTLA
LA Blade readers appreciate hearing the news from one of our own. Out reporter John Fenoglio appears to have our backs. He is quoted as saying, “LGBT people are the targets of more hate crimes than any other minority. A San Pedro resident and veteran I met today knows firsthand what that feels like. Don’t hate… But do fight back and fight smart.”
Editor’s choice: Elzie Lee “LZ” Granderson of the LA Times
Best LA Region Airport: Hollywood/Burbank Airport
Hollywood Burbank Airport is legally and formerly marketed as Bob Hope Airport after entertainer Bob Hope. It is a public airport three miles northwest of downtown Burbank. LA Blade readers seem to agree with airport patrons who have declared “this place just treats you like family and customer service is simply awesome.”
Editor’s choice: LAX
Best Podcast: MARSHA MOLINARI’s “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha”
In the run up to election day, no LGBTQ related podcast or media (admittedly including Los Angeles Blade) did more to give a platform to LA Mayoral Candidate Rick Caruso than Marsha Molinari’s Podcast “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.” She gave Caruso a challenging but fair airing on a variety of LGBTQ topics. And it didn’t go unnoticed.
The local culture, fashion and nightlife icon is also mastermind behind the H.Wood Group, owner of some of LA’s hottest clubs and best restaurants (The Nice Guy earned the award for Best Restaurant). Molinari is also nationally prominent LGBTQIA+ Transgender & Human Rights Activist and Creative Director of J.Molinari Jewelry… Marsha does it all.
“Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!” explores raw human experiences with conversations that lead to a true sharing with the goal of improving how we view one another. The show, with its focus on overcoming adversity and bringing people together, is not shy about engaging in uncomfortable conversations, but comfortably so. Subjects include all things LGBTQIA+, life purpose, self-worth, confidence, mental health, race, ethnicity, sexism, ageism and so much more.
Editor’s choice: Rob Watson, Rated LGBT Radio Hollywood
Events
WeHo is co-sponsoring 1st ever Inglewood Pride Festival, June 22
The pride event, co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood, will offer live entertainment, DJ sets, and free food
By Paulo Murillo | WEST HOLLYWOOD – The City of West Hollywood is co-sponsoring the first annual Inglewood Pride Festival in the City of Inglewood on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Events are set to take place at the Creative House Gallery at 122 N Market Street and outdoors in the Historic Market Street Shopping District.
The pride event, co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood, will offer live entertainment, DJ sets, and free food. An RSVP was required and has already sold out.
Inglewood Pride Festival 2024 will be an indoor/outdoor event with plenty of options to captivate and educate the community. Booths will provide resources to the LGBTQ+ community, and there will be a wide range of sponsor vendors. The festival offers free food, free entry, and a family-friendly environment.
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health will also be on hand to provide mpox vaccinations and offer information and resources on various health concerns, including COVID-19 vaccines.
The event schedule is as follows:
GALLERY SECTION
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Guest Red Carpet Photos
$50 Grocery Gift for Best Dressed
CABANA SECTION
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
DJ TLA Storm
70s, 80s, 90s R&B/Soul/Deep
GALLERY
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
County of Los Angeles Presentation (Cholesterol)
Roberto Luno, Emergency Preparedness; Public Health Nurse, Einique Forris, Health Educator
CABANA
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Di P-Nasty
Hip-Hop/R&B/Latin; Dance Contest
CABANA
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Artist Performances
To learn more about this event, visit:
Inglewood Pride Festival
The Creative House Non-Profit:
The Creative House Gallery is a non-profit art gallery with a goal of helping the community transition, survive, develop, and thrive through art access and art education.
The Creative House Gallery is committed to enhancing the quality of life through artistic programming that serves all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and economic statuses, with an emphasis on marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented persons.
The Market Street Shopping District:
Since Inglewood’s founding in 1908, Market Street has served as the central shopping district. When automobiles came to Market Street in the 1920s, sidewalks were installed to serve pedestrians. In 1927, the chain store S.H. Kress was built at 233 S. Market Street with a signature architectural style. J.C. Penney moved to 139 S. Market Street in 1940.
The late 1960s brought city and county facilities just south of Market Street. During the 1990s, a rehabilitation of Market Street brought street trees and new tenants. Today’s Market Street district has art galleries, bookstores, the Inglewood Senior Center, and the light rail Florence Boulevard station.
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Paulo Murillo is Editor in Chief and Publisher of WEHO TIMES. He brings over 20 years of experience as a columnist, reporter, and photo journalist. Murillo began his professional writing career as the author of “Love Ya, Mean It,” an irreverent and sometimes controversial West Hollywood lifestyle column for FAB! newspaper. His work has appea
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The preceding article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.
Events
Trans Pride LA celebrating 25 Years with series of events
Trans Pride LA celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, making it one of the oldest, dedicated celebrations of Trans Pride in the country
By Mike Pingel | LOS ANGELES – Trans Pride LA celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, making it one of the oldest, dedicated celebrations of Transgender Pride in the country, lifting trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive folks! Spotlighting the Trans*Lounge program as well as other services provided at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, this all-ages, free event expects 1,400+ attendees over two days.
Friday evening, June 14, will kick off with a vibrant TPLA Welcome Mixer, followed by a line dancing lesson by Stud Country instructors Kira and Abigail, and a viewing of the new gallery exhibition “Ides of Gender” by artist Zach Oren.
Saturday, June 15, the Trans Pride Festival will once again take over The Village and McCadden Pl. with interactive workshops, 40+ market vendors and resource partners, six different food vendors, a portrait studio by photographer Devyn Galindo, and a Trans Pride Talent Showcase featuring the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Fei Hernandez, Amilia, Bailey Moses, and more.
This event is entirely free on both days, June 14 · 6 pm – June 15 · 6 pm PT. All events will take place at the Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza and Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood. Admission is completely FREE all weekend. To grab your tickets and see the up-to-date schedule, visit: lalgbtcenter.org/tpla202.
Here is the two-day schedule of events:
Friday, June 14th:
6:00 PM – 8:15 PM – TPLA Welcome Mixer Join us in the Village Courtyard at 1125 North McCadden for a welcome cocktail mixer unveiling this year’s Trans Pride exhibit titled “Ides of Gender” by artist Zach Oren. Non-alcoholic beverage options are available.
8:30 PM – 9:30 PM – Queer Country Line Dancing Performance & Lesson by Stud Country instructors Stud Country’s instructors, Kira Kull & Abi Hamilton, will provide a performance that will make you say “yeehaw.” It will be followed by a queer country line dancing lesson open to all.
8:15 PM – 10:00 PM – Cocktail Mixer & Gallery Viewing Continue exploring Trans Pride’s Gallery Exhibit “Ides of Gender,” grab a bite or simply grab a drink while catching up with (new) friends.
Saturday, June 15th:
12:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Trans Pride Festival We are shutting the street down and spreading Trans Joy everywhere! This event includes a Children & Families Activity Area, Live Performances & Entertainment, Educational Workshops, Market Vendors & Resource Fair, Free Food Vendors, and a Trans Pride Talent Showcase! ASL Interpreters will be available throughout the festival stages & workshops.
Trans Pride Los Angeles is hosted by the Trans* Lounge program, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s groundbreaking education & empowerment program dedicated to serving Los Angeles’ trans and gender expansive community. ASL and bilingual (Spanish/English) interpretation will be available both days.
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Mike Pingel has written six books, Channel Surfing: Charlie’s Angels & Angelic Heaven: A Fan’s Guide to Charlie’s Angels, Channel Surfing: Wonder Woman, The Brady Bunch: Super Groovy after all these years; Works of Pingel and most recently, Betty White: Rules the World. Pingel owns and runs CharliesAngels.com website and was Farrah Fawcett personal assistant. He also works as an actor and as a freelance publicist. His official website is www.mikepingel.com
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The preceding article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.
Events
Ricky Martin makes Pride debut at LA Pride in the Park
Martin entertained the crowd with live vocals and hip movements, and he serenaded his hardcore fans with several Spanish songs
By Paulo Murillo | LOS ANGELES – LA Pride kicked off a weekend-long celebration of Pride Month this past Saturday with Ricky Martin shaking his “bom bom” to a sea of fans at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
The event also featured performances by JoJo Siwa, RaiNao, Tokischa, MUNA, and cast members of HBO’s “We’re Here,” including Sasha Velour, Latrice Royale, Jaida Essence Hall, and Priyanka.
The LA Pride in the Park music festival, produced by Christopher Street West (CSW), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1970, spanned over 20 acres and featured a variety of activities, exhibitor booths, vendors, games, and food and drink options.
Martin entertained the crowd with live vocals and hip movements, and he serenaded his hardcore fans with several Spanish songs, reminding those in attendance that his music career extends beyond “Livin’ La Vida Loca” in the U.S. to other Spanish-speaking countries.
According to reports, this year’s performance marks Martin’s first headlining appearance at any Pride event since he publicly came out as gay via his website in 2010. This year also marks him as the first openly gay Latin artist to perform center stage at LA Pride.
Martin had a lot to prove with his LA Pride gig, following in the high-heeled footsteps of LGBTQ+ diva giants Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey, who graced the LA Pride stage in the past two years.
This year’s theme, “Power in Pride,” celebrates the LGBTQ+ community’s ability to live authentically through strength and resilience.
“His participation in LA Pride in the Park goes beyond mere entertainment. It symbolizes a powerful affirmation of queer Latin identity and a celebration of diversity within the LGBTQ+ community,” said Gerald Garth, president of the Christopher Street West board, in a statement.
@wehotimes @Ricky Martin gave it his all as the headliner of this year’s @LA Pride music festival. Here he gyrates all over the place for Living La Vida Loca. #wehotimes #wehonews #lapride #pride #pridemonth #gaypride #lgbtpride #rickymartin #ricky ♬ original sound – WEHO TIMES
The event also included a “sober space” featuring games and activities, an Erotic City area with displays and appearances catering to the kink community, a sports section, and plenty of giveaways.
The LA Pride celebrations continued on Sunday with the LA Pride Parade through the streets of Hollywood, followed by a daylong street fair.
To learn more about LA Pride, visit: https://lapride.org/
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Paulo Murillo is Editor in Chief and Publisher of WEHO TIMES. He brings over 20 years of experience as a columnist, reporter, and photo journalist. Murillo began his professional writing career as the author of “Love Ya, Mean It,” an irreverent and sometimes controversial West Hollywood lifestyle column for FAB! newspaper. His work has appea
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The preceding article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.
Events
54th Annual LA PRIDE Parade Today! STEP OFF at 11AM
The LA Pride Parade and Block Party will take over the streets of Hollywood Sunday, continuing a two-day celebration of Pride Month
LOS ANGELES – (KABC) – HAPPENING TODAY! Come out to the 54th annual @lapride Parade in Hollywood! The parade’s grand marshals are “Star Trek” legend George Takei, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley and legendary wrestler Cassandro El Exótico. 🏳️🌈Can’t make it? Watch it here at 11am: https://t.co/IlpUMCBBHj — ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 9, 2024
HAPPENING TODAY! Come out to the 54th annual @lapride Parade in Hollywood! The parade's grand marshals are "Star Trek" legend George Takei, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley and legendary wrestler Cassandro El Exótico. 🏳️🌈
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 9, 2024
Can't make it? Watch it here at 11am: https://t.co/IlpUMCBBHj pic.twitter.com/nStxbZxYpy
JUNE 9, 2024: STEP OFF at 11AM
The best Parade viewing spots are along the middle of Hollywood Blvd, or on Highland, opposite the ABC7 broadcast area. Step-off is at 11AM sharp, so get there early to get a good spot.
If you can’t be with there in person, be sure to watch the parade live on ABC7, LA Pride’s Official Television & Streaming Partner.
PARADE BLOCK PARTY
June 9, 2024
ADJACENT TO PARADE ROUTE HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
We’re keeping the celebration going on Sunday by throwing the ultimate free Block Party adjacent to the Parade, open from mid-day and going into the evening. With a performance stage, large vendor village, food & bevs, pop-up bars, and more, it’s the place to be to after the Parade. Last year, 35,000 people enjoyed this free Parade “after-party,” don’t miss it!
The Block Party vendor booth application deadline has now passed. Stay tuned to learn more about the cool things we have in store!
Events
PHOTOS: Tens of Thousands gather for WeHo Pride Parade
This past Sunday, June 2, 2024, tens of thousands of people gathered on Santa Monica Boulevard, in the heart of West Hollywood, for the march
By Paulo Murillo | WEST HOLLYWOOD – This past Sunday, June 2, 2024, tens of thousands of people gathered on Santa Monica Boulevard, in the heart of West Hollywood, for the much-anticipated 3rd annual WeHo Pride Parade. The sky was overcast for most of the parade route, which was scheduled to step off at 12:30 p.m., and seemed to start on time (with wide empty gaps in between).
The WeHo Pride Parade began at N. Crescent Heights Boulevard at Santa Monica Boulevard, and traveled westbound along Santa Monica Boulevard into the heart of City’s Rainbow District to N. Robertson Boulevard.
The event promised to bring music, dancing, colorful floats, festive marching contingents, and a creative flair to the city’s historic Route 66, and the city did not disappoint. From lesbians riding motorcycles, to leather clad daddys, to drag queens in stunning, elaborate costumes to LGBTQ+ people adorning themselves with the colors of the rainbow, to everyday allies proudly waving flags, the day was filled with lots to see from the gated sidelines.
The parade was also filled with celebrities. This year’s Lifetime Ally Icon for WeHo Pride Parade 2024, Cindy Lauper wished everyone a happy pride while wearing a shimmering silver disco ball-inspired headpiece.
Photos below by Paulo Murillo (click to enlarge).
Nonbinary singer Kehlani turned her appearance at the parade into a pro-Palestine demonstration. They rode on the back of a convertible decked Palestinian flags while protesters marched with them.
Other celebrity sightings on the parade route and by the sidelines include Lizzo, Garcelle Beauvais, Sutton Stracke, Lance Bass, and more.
New owner of the The Abbey WeHo and The Chapel at The Abbey rode on the Abbey float that was filled with gyrating go-go dancers.
The owners of Beaches WeHo rode on a float promoting their up-and-coming Beaches Tropicana with Lance Bass front and center.
There was a long list of organizations, businesses, programs, and politicians doing their part to support this year’s WeHo Pride Parade and to take part in LGBTQ+ representation, inclusion and progress.
For nearly four decades, the City of West Hollywood has been home to one of the largest Pride celebrations in the nation. Hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ people and allies from around the world traditionally make West Hollywood their regular destination during Pride season.
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Paulo Murillo is Editor in Chief and Publisher of WEHO TIMES. He brings over 20 years of experience as a columnist, reporter, and photo journalist. Murillo began his professional writing career as the author of “Love Ya, Mean It,” an irreverent and sometimes controversial West Hollywood lifestyle column for FAB! newspaper. His work has appea
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The preceding article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.
Events
Southern California’s LGBTQ+ 2024 Pride events
Welcome to a celebration of Pride 2024 in Southern California. Here’s a calendar of events from around the region
Venice Pride’s Gaywatch
May 31
Baja Venice 311 Washington Blvd, Venice
venicepride.org
Venice Pride Block Party presented by Aids Healthcare Foundation
May 31
99 Windward Ave
LA’s beloved grassroots LGBTQ+ Pride celebration returns with a *FREE* party in the street!
Venice Pride Block Party
4th annual San Gabriel Valley Pride March and Festival
June 1
Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley & Eastside (BGCWSGV), City of Monterey Park, and Alhambra Teachers Association are teaming up on the 4th annual San Gabriel Valley Pride March and Festival this Saturday, June 1. Hundreds of community members, including those of the LGBTQ+ group, will gather during this event to advocate for inclusivity and kindness during Pride month. The one-mile Pride march begins at Mark Keppel High School and will conclude at Barnes Memorial Park, where there will be food trucks, live music performances, art, and community resources. The festival will be hosted by Lisa Foxx from IHeart Radio and will highlight Club youth with inspiring LGBTQ+ stories, including teen member Mia Guttierez.
WHEN: Saturday, June 1 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
*Pride festival begins at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Barnes Memorial Park |350 S Mc Pherrin Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754
*Noting that this march will begin at Mark Keppel High School and conclude at Barnes Memorial Park, where the concert and festival will occur.
Los Angeles Angels Pride Night
June 1
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Join fans in the Gate 5 Courtyard for pre-game Pride festivities. Purchase a Pride Night ticket package and receive discounted pricing along with a Pride Night-themed Angles hat. Proceeds from each ticket purchase will benefit OC Pride.
angels.com/pride
AIDS/LifeCycle 2024 Ride
June 2-8
The Cow Palace
AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully-supported, seven-day bike ride
from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It’s a life-changing 545-mile ride-not a race-through some of California’s most beautiful countryside.
aidslifecycle.org
WeHo Pride Weekend
May 31- June 2
WeHo Pride 2024 kicks-off on Harvey Milk Day, May 22, with a special event.
wehopride.com
Friday Night @ Outloud
May 31
WeHo Pride presents this free-to-attend concert in West Hollywood Park featuring headliners to be announced soon!
wehopride.com
Glendale Pride in the Park
June 1, 1pm-5pm
Adams Square Mini Park
The Glendale Pride in the Park celebration and queer family picnic is back. Glendale invites everyone in the community to join and work with love, in healing, and in creating safe space for our kids to thrive.
glendaleout.org
Yappy Pride Party Returns to Just Food for Dogs West Hollywood
June 1, 2024, from 2 pm – 5 pm
The Yappy Pride Party is returning to the Just Food for Dogs West Hollywood kitchen, located at 7870 Santa Monica Boulevard, Saturday June 1, 2024, from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. during WeHo Pride weekend. Dogs and their pet companions are welcome to attend the event at their parking lot on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue
Guests will celebrate the kickoff of Pride Month with some food and refreshments. Past events have offered wraps, freshly made burgers, hot dogs, and there were plenty of dog treats for pets to munch on. This year enjoy a photo session with fur family photos (available from 3-5pm) with the purchase of toy and treat bundle. There will also be a K-9 couture contest.
Relentlessly Advocating for Pet Health
Being Completely Transparent
Basing Decisions on Scientific Evidence
Driving Change in Our Category
Honoring Pet Life Through Support of Rescue Efforts
You can find them at retail kitchens, inside veterinary clinics and hospitals, at Pet Food Express stores in California, Petco locations nationwide, and on Chewy.com.
To learn more, please visit; https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/
Women’s Freedom Festival and Dyke March
Women’s Freedom Festival
June 1, 12pm – 6pm
WeHo Pride Street Fair Community Stage at La Peer Dr.
Co-sponsored and produced by the L-Project, the festival will feature emerging LGBTQ and BIPOC women, non-binary musicians, comedians, poets, and activists.
wehopride.com
Dyke March
June 1, 6pm-10pm
WeHo Pride Street Fair Community Stage at La Peer Dr.
Featuring a motorcycle-led march, this annual rally will begin immediately following the Women’s Freedom Festival along Santa Monica Boulevard.
wehopride.com
WeHo Pride weekend is almost upon us. It all begins this Friday, May 31, 2024 to Sunday, June 2, 2024, with the return of the Women’s Freedom Festival and Dyke March on Saturday. Women are taking over Boystown for WeHo Pride! Women’s Freedom Festival and the Dyke March returns for its 3rd year at West Hollywood Pride on Saturday, June 1, 2024 beginning at 12 noon!
This event is FREE. It is produced by The L-Project Los Angeles and co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood.
Located at the Celebration Stage on west end of Santa Monica Blvd at LaPeer Avenue, the event will be hosted by Jackie Steele with sounds by DJ Boom Boom & DJ Sterling Victorian.
This year’s lineup of 2SLGBTQ+BIPOC artists will include live performances by: Nekeith – Madline Grace Jones – Shiah Luna – Gattison – Cheri Moon – Theia – Mariah Counts and the KingQueen Band. Poetry by Yazmin Monet Watkins + Sasha MaRi – Suri Chan and West Hollywood’s Poet Laurette, Jen Cheng.
Guest speakers will include: Queen Hollins, Chanel Lumiere, Amy Stretten (Chickhominy)
Dyke March performance by THEIA & MEDUSA, THE GANSTA GODDESS
Biker staging for the Dyke March will begin at 5pm with an opening performance by Medusa at 5:30 p.m. The Dyke March Rally at 6 p.m. and the March will begin 6:30 p.m.
Bikers! If interested in joining Pride Riders for the Dyke March, please contact: Katrina Vinson at: [email protected]
Reserve your tickets for a chance to win free promos and other giveaways by clicking on the link here: (Link)
The Women’s Freedom Festival lineup and schedule (*subject to change) is as follows:
ACT ONE – 12:30 PM – 3 PM
Host: Jackie Steele
Sounds by: DJ Boom Boom @mz_djboomboom
Opening Ceremony
Tongva Nation Land Blessing
Queen Hollins
Jen Cheng @jencvoice
Chanel Lumiere @chanelblaclumiere
Nekeith @officialnekeith
Madeline Grace Jones @aesthetic_thespian
Suri Chan @suri___chan
Shiah Luna @shiahluna
Cheri Moon @cherimoon
Gattison @justgattison
ACT TWO – 3 PM – 5 PM
DJ Sterling
Theia @theiaofficialxo
Mariah Counts @mcshmammer
KingQueen Band @kingqueen.band
ACT THREE – DYKE MARCH 530 PM – 630 PM
Yazmin Monet Watkins + Sasha MaRi @yazminmonetwatkins
Medusa @legendmedusa
Trans Choir
Pride Rider Rally @pride_riders_la
The L-Project is an historically lesbian non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded in 2015 by Elisabeth Sandberg, in West Hollywood, California. Their mission is to promote and support emerging LGBTQI BI+POC women and non-binary creatives through the arts and technology.
Outloud @ WeHo Pride
June 1-2
An award-winning, ticketed concert highlighting LGBTQ artistry, this star-studded, high-energy line-up celebrates and advocates for queer voices in music, kicking off Pride Season!
wehopride.com
WeHo Pride Street Fair
June 1-2
The street fair is free and will include community group booths, exhibitors, sponsor activations, a stage with live performances, and other entertainment elements.
wehopride.com
WeHo Pride Parade
June 2
A colorful and entertaining event for the whole family, the parade will feature contingents such as floats, bands, drill teams, dance teams, entertainment entries, marchers and special guests.
wehopride.com
LA Pride in the Park
June 8, 1pm-11pm
Los Angeles State Historic Park
1245 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles
LA Pride in the Park is a highly anticipated music event. This year’s headliner is Latin superstar Ricky Martin. Joining him on the massive 80-foot stage will be MUNA, Tokischa and Jojo Siwa, among others. It’s also an LGBTQ+ community event organized by CSW, LA’s original 501(c)3 Pride nonprofit, established in 1970. Guests will enjoy over 20 acres of activities, glow-ups, giveaways, and more from LGBTQIA+ partners, exhibitors, and vendors.
lapride.org
As the first openly gay Latin artist to take center stage at the highly-anticipated Pride event of the year, this marks Martin’s first-ever headliner Pride performance.
LA Pride in the Park will return to the Los Angeles State Historic Park on Saturday, June 8. Across 20 acres and with a capacity for 25,000, LA Pride in the Park is one of the most sought-after and largest Official Pride concerts in the country. Additionally, the official theme for this year’s Pride season is “Power in Pride,” which celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community’s ability to live authentically.
General Admission and VIP Passes are now available to purchase at lapride.org.
“I am thrilled to be headlining LA Pride in the Park because it’s an incredible opportunity to celebrate love, diversity, and equality,” said Martin. “LA Pride is a testament to the power of community, the power of visibility, and the power of standing up for our rights. Being part of this vibrant community fills me with pride and purpose.”
54th ANNUAL LA PRIDE PARADE
JUNE 9, 2024: STEP OFF at 11AM
The best Parade viewing spots are along the middle of Hollywood Blvd, or on Highland, opposite the ABC7 broadcast area. Step-off is at 11AM sharp, so get there early to get a good spot.
If you can’t be with there in person, be sure to watch the parade live on ABC7, LA Pride’s Official Television & Streaming Partner.
PARADE BLOCK PARTY
June 9, 2024
ADJACENT TO PARADE ROUTE HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
We’re keeping the celebration going on Sunday by throwing the ultimate free Block Party adjacent to the Parade, open from mid-day and going into the evening. With a performance stage, large vendor village, food & bevs, pop-up bars, and more, it’s the place to be to after the Parade. Last year, 35,000 people enjoyed this free Parade “after-party,” don’t miss it!
The Block Party vendor booth application deadline has now passed. Stay tuned to learn more about the cool things we have in store!
The Grove will host Los Angeles’ beloved annual Pride Night celebration
June 13
The Grove will host Los Angeles’ beloved annual Pride Night celebration on Thursday, June 13, presented by Afterpay. Friends, family and members of the LGBTQIA+ community will gather in The Park for a colorful night of festive bingo, live entertainment, delectable sips and bites and more in celebration of this year’s Pride Month.
When doors open at 6PM, The Park at The Grove will shine in bright rainbow ornamentation, welcoming guests to rejoice with Pride-themed décor, upbeat tunes from a live DJ and a variety of interactive photo moments to capture the excitement. An array of bites from Rocco’s Pizza and The Grove’s dining tenants will be available to enjoy, including Häagen-Dazs, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Pressed Juicery and % Arabica, complemented by beverages from Hamptons Water, Casa Dragones, Grey Goose and Calidad.
The Grove’s acclaimed Pride Bingo will begin promptly at 7:30PM. Tickets are $55 per person and include 10 rounds of bingo hosted by LA legend ‘Bingo Boy’ (Jeffrey Bowman) and chances to win luxury prizes from some of The Grove’s renowned retailers like the newly opened David Yurman and Arhaus, along with Byredo, Backcountry, Todd Snyder and more. Caruso Signature members will also receive exclusive Pride merch and complimentary parking validation. Ticket proceeds will be donated to LA Pride.
Pride Night is sponsored by “buy now, pay later” service Afterpay. New and existing Afterpay customers who purchase Pride Bingo tickets will be reimbursed at check-in and guests are encouraged to arrive via Lyft, the official rideshare partner of Caruso. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit https://thegrovela.com/events/pride-bingo-2/.
WHAT: Pride Night at The Grove, presented by Afterpay
WHEN: Thursday, June 13
6PM – 9PM
Check-In Opens: 6PM
Food, Drinks and Live Music: 6PM-7:30PM
Bingo and Prizes: 7:30PM-9PM
WHERE: The Grove (in The Park)
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90036
ADMISSION: (1) Pride Bingo Ticket: $55
*Includes 10 rounds of bingo, meal and beverage tickets, exclusive Pride merch, photo opportunities and chances to win complimentary prizes from The Grove’s stores and restaurants
To purchase tickets, please visit https://thegrovela.com/event-listing/#id=pride-bingo-los-angeles-2 .
LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium
Friday, June 14 – 7:10pm PT
Dodger Stadium
Our World Series-winning Dodgers take on the Kansas City Royals with LA Pride pre-game festivities featuring DJ party, and Pride merch for special ticket holders!
Buy tickets here: (Link)
Catalina Island Gears Up for an Unforgettable Pride Celebration
June 15, 2024
Catalina Pride, sponsored by US Bank, will kick off at noon with the ceremonial Pride Walk, starting from Wrigley Stage and continuing along the scenic waterfront to the famous Catalina Island Casino. Participants are encouraged to don their brightest rainbow attire as they join in this joyous march showcasing support for the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the historic Catalina Island Casino will be lit in vibrant rainbow colors to showcase Catalina’s love and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Wrigley Stage will be the heart of the celebration, featuring an exciting lineup of live entertainment. Highlights include:
- Pulp Vixen – This all-female cover band, known for their high-energy performances, will headline the event.
- DJ Asha – Returning for her third year, DJ Asha will keep the crowd dancing with her dynamic mixes.
- KingQueen – The rock-pop band is back by popular demand.
- Mermaid – Featuring Candace Quarrels and Brittany Campbell, this duo blends rock, pop, and R&B.
- Danielle Lande – Singer-songwriter and founder of QUEERSOUND.
- Patrick St. James – Irish-born, Manchester-based queer pop singer-songwriter.
- DJ Jae Fusz – Former background dancer for Britney Spears, bringing his DJ skills to the stage.
- Tonii and Miya King – Performing as both solo artists and their duo group Sunday.
- Sister Ray – Known for their eclectic style and original songs.
- DJ Hovani – Las Vegas-based DJ known for his infectious sets.
- In addition to the main stage performances, an after-party will be held at the Chi Chi Club from 10 PM to close, featuring sets by DJ Hovani and DJ Fusz.
“We are delighted to welcome everyone to Catalina Island for this special celebration of love and diversity,” said Jim Luttjohann, CEO of Love Catalina. “Pride is not just an event; it’s a testament to our community’s commitment to inclusion and acceptance. Catalina is a wonderful destination for LGBTQ+ visitors year-round, offering a welcoming atmosphere, stunning scenery, and a variety of activities for all to enjoy. We look forward to a fantastic day of celebration, music, and unity.”
Pride is Universal at Universal Studios Hollywood
June 15, 2024 10pm – 2am
LA Pride’s iconic after-hours party is back at Universal Studios Hollywood, with a limited discounted GA ticket price of $139! Enjoy the magic of when the park closes to the public at 10pm and you get to stay until 2am for the Pride-only after-hours experience with multiple DJ’s, dance areas, cash bars, 14 Universal characters, and enhanced lighting throughout the park! Plus the retail stores, select restaurants, rides, and attractions remain open just for us!
BUY PRIDE IS UNIVERSAL TICKETS
City of Santa Monica celebrates Pride
The month-long SaMo Pride celebration returns this June with interactive activities and experiences that honor and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and promote inclusivity and acceptance in Santa Monica. SaMo Pride is a citywide partnership between Santa Monica Place, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.) and Santa Monica Pier, in collaboration with the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism.
Fierce Fables: Drag Queen Pride Family-Edition
June 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At Santa Monica Pier, the community is invited to participate in the Merry-Go-Round Building. Hosted in partnership with The Crow Comedy Club, this event welcomes all family members to enjoy a drag queen and king storytelling corner, face painting and show-stopping dance numbers by Pickle Drag Queen, Pandora Boxx and Johnny Gentleman.
Pride on the Promenade
June 22, from 2 to 8 p.m.
This lively block party transforms Third Street Promenade into a colorful celebration featuring musical performances curated by OUTLOUD, giveaways, games and a retail pop-up marketplace showcasing local LGBTQ+ businesses, creating an inclusive space for all ages to come together and celebrate diversity. Plus, local service providers and community groups will be present along the Promenade, offering support and resources for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sounds of Santa Monica: Pride Edition
June 22, from noon to 6 p.m.
Families will groove to the beats of live musical entertainment by LGBTQ+ performers in Center Plaza under Lanterns of Love, an overhead colorful lantern installation. Vibrant overhead lights will also span from Third Street Promenade to Santa Monica Place, illuminating the festive atmosphere. Also on Saturday, the Santa Monica Place Kid Zone offers kid-friendly Pride programming and activities, creating an educational and entertaining space for children to play and learn about inclusivity and acceptance. For more information about Sounds of Santa Monica: Pride Edition, visit santamonicaplace.com.
The City of Santa Monica is dedicated to increasing visibility and understanding of the broad spectrum of gender identities and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community. The City celebrates Pride with the month-long lighting of City Hall in rainbow colors and a series of educational, uplifting events during the month of June. Community events include the City’s Pride Proclamation on May 28; an AIDS LifeCycle Finish Line Festival on June 8; Rainbow Family Storytime at the Santa Monica Public Library on June 11; Family Pride Drag Queen Storytime with Pickle on June 14; Pride sunset swim at the Annenberg Community Beach House on June 21; and much more.
Hermosa Beach Pride
Friday, June 14 to Sunday June 16, 2024
Location: Hermosa Beach
About the Event: Girls, gays, theys, allies, ALL are welcome to join us for our 4th Annual Hermosa Beach PRIDE, June 14-16! For more information, please visit Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau’s website.
This Pride month, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath is supporting a wide range of Pride events throughout Los Angeles County’s Third Supervisorial District in solidarity, support, and love of our LGBTQ+ community.
“This Pride, we’re committed to making sure that our LGBTQ+ community, in all of its beautiful diversity, is welcomed, supported, and celebrated throughout Los Angeles County,” said Chair Horvath. “As we honor the progress we’ve made and continue to push for equality, we must stand strong, use our voices, and make sure that our LGBTQ+ community always feels empowered. The Third District and LA County will be loud and proud in our support for all our LGBTQ+ family, during Pride month and year-round.”
The media and community are invited to join Chair Horvath for the following Pride Month events throughout the Third District.
Venice Pride | May 31st, 5 – 11 p.m. | 99 Windward Ave. | venicepride.org
West Hollywood Pride | June 1st - June 2nd | Santa Monica Blvd. | wehopride.com
Chair Horvath will attend the West Hollywood Pride Parade, which takes place on June 2nd at 12:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Pride | June 8th - June 9th | Hollywood Blvd. | lapride.org
Chair Horvath will attend the Los Angeles Pride Parade, which takes place on June 9th at 11 a.m.
Santa Monica Pride | June 22nd, 2 – 8 p.m. | Third Street Promenade | smpride.com
San Fernando Outdoor Pride Market | June 22nd, 6-10 p.m. | San Fernando Rd. | sfoutdoormarket.com
WEST HOLLYWOOD – The City of West Hollywood is co-sponsoring the first annual Inglewood Pride Festival in the City of Inglewood on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Events are set to take place at the Creative House Gallery at 122 N Market Street and outdoors in the Historic Market Street Shopping District.
https://www.losangelesblade.com/2024/06/19/weho-is-co-sponsoring-1st-ever-inglewood-pride-festival-june-22/
AFA WRESTLING PRESENTS “OVER THE RAINBOW” JUNE SOCAL PRIDE SHOW
LOS ANGELES, CA — Alliance For All Wrestling (AFA) will hold its largest LGBTQI+ allied professional wrestling event in Azusa at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW Hall — 250 East 1st Street Azusa, CA 91702 on June 27, 2024.
The “Wizard of Oz” themed show (‘Over the Rainbow’) will be the greatest pro-wrestling Pride event in SoCal history, featuring 40+ of the hottest SoCal wrestling stars on the independent circuit.
Barbie Boi, pro-wrestler and founder of AFA, is encouraging everyone to grab their friends and family, “click their heels three times,” and head on down the yellow brick road to witness a truly magical event.
“‘Over the Rainbow’ is an event that will bring everyone together for a night of love, representation, equality and wrestling,” says Barbie Boi. “Pride Month is such a special time for people to come together and show how important love and equality is. Pro-wrestling, to me, can also bring so many different kinds of people together. This event is showcasing talent representing the community alongside our strong allies. I want everyone to come see what is at the end of our wrestling rainbow. They’re going to love it.”
Featured and confirmed talent include: Effy, Shane Haste, Wolf Zaddies (Che Cabrera & Tito Escondido), Mylo, Sandra Moone, Delilah Doom, Barbie Boi, Keita, G Sharpe, Jazmin Allure, Titus Alexander, Tyler Bateman, Ray Rosas, Maximilien Monclair, Diego Valens, Nina, Brendan Divine, Bryn Throne, Jakob Austin Young, Eli Everfly, Bryce Saturn, Moondog Murray, Hunter Gallagher, El Primohenio, Parada, Chuy Gonzalez, Joey Mayberry, Mateo Valentine, Mighty Mayra, Shelly Benson, Everly Rivera, Marina Tucker, Krusty Krew (Lucas Riley & Dom Kubrick), The Unguided (Matt Vandagriff & Damian Drake), Gypsy Mac, Dante King and Affirmative Action (Da Shade & Project Wes).
Tickets for the June 27 show are $30 for Front Row VIP and $25 for General Admission, currently available for purchase online on Eventbrite. Tickets will also be sold at the door the day of the event.
This is an all inclusive event for all ages. Bar service for alcohol purchase available, and must be 21+ with proper identification. Pride wardrobe encouraged. Merchandise table/ photo-ops with wrestlers/ talent will be held during and after the show. Parking is free next to the VFW building and street parking is also available.
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE For more information about AFA – please follow on Instagram: @allianceforallwrestling, Twitter: @afawrestling, or contact via email: [email protected]
San Fernando Valley Pride | June 29th, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Van Nuys | sfvpride.org
March at noon at Van Nuys Blvd. and Gault St.
Important Pride Notes!
WeHo Pride Weekend Street and Facility Closures
WeHo Pride Weekend will Take Place from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2 in and Around West Hollywood Park and the City’s Rainbow District
The City of West Hollywood reminds the community and the region about WeHo Pride-related street and facility closures. Drivers and Metro riders can anticipate increased traffic and commute times; please plan to use alternate routes.
Street Closures will take place, as follows:
- N. San Vicente Boulevard closed from Melrose Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- Santa Monica Blvd (Eastbound) closed from N. La Cienega Boulevard to N. Doheny Drive from Friday, May 31, at 12 p.m. (noon) through Monday, June 3, at 7 a.m.
- N. Robertson Boulevard closed from Santa Monica Boulevard to Melrose Avenue from Friday, May 31, at 12 p.m. (noon) through Monday, June 3 at 7 a.m.
- Santa Monica Boulevard (Westbound) closed from N. La Cienega Boulevard to N. Doheny Drive from Saturday, June 1, at 6 a.m. through Monday, June 3, at 7 a.m.
- N. San Vicente Boulevard closed from Santa Monica Boulevard to Cynthia Street from Saturday, June 1, at 6 a.m. through Monday, June 3, at 7 a.m.
- Santa Monica Boulevard closed from N. Fairfax Avenue to N. Doheny Drive (including side streets one block north and one block south of Santa Monica Boulevard) from Sunday, June 2 at 5 a.m. through Sunday, June 2, at 5 p.m. for the WeHo Pride Parade. Santa Monica Boulevard from N. La Cienega Boulevard to N. Doheny Drive will remain closed though Monday, June 3 at 7 a.m.
Facility Closures will be, as follows:
- West Hollywood Park from Monday, May 27 through Wednesday, June 5 (West Hollywood Park will reopen Thursday, June 6).
- Small Dog Park at West Hollywood Park from Monday, May 27 through Wednesday, June 5 (Small Dog Park will reopen Thursday, June 6).
- Large Dog Park at West Hollywood Park from Wednesday, May 29 through Tuesday, June 4 (Large Dog Park will reopen Wednesday, June 5).
- Five-Story Parking Structure at West Hollywood Park from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- West Hollywood Library Garage at West Hollywood Park from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- Aquatic and Recreation Center Garage at West Hollywood Park from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- Plummer Park South Lot from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 12 p.m.
- Robertson Lot from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
The City of West Hollywood will activate its annual Pride Ride free shuttle service during #WeHoPride Weekend. The City’s free transit services, The PickUp and Cityline, will offer combined Pride Ride services that will operate over the weekend.
Pride Ride vehicles (both PickUp and Cityline vehicles marked with route/destination) will travel through West Hollywood from N. La Brea Avenue to N. Kings Road along Santa Monica Boulevard. Select Pride Ride vehicles (marked with route/destination) will also run to the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station as follows:
- Friday, May 31, 2024 – West Hollywood route will run from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. From 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. service will run to-and-from the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station.
- Saturday, June 1, 2024 – West Hollywood route will run from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. service will run to-and-from the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station.
- Sunday, June 2, 2024 – West Hollywood route will run from 11 a.m. to midnight. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. service will run to-and-from Hollywood & Highland Metro Station to N. Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard due to WeHo Pride Parade street closures. Following the Pride Parade, once streets have reopened, Pride Ride will run along Santa Monica Boulevard between N. La Brea Avenue and N. La Cienega Boulevard until midnight.
WeHo Pride Weekend (May 31 to June 2) will include a free WeHo Pride Street Fair representing a diverse array of LGBTQ community groups as part of visibility, expression, and celebration; the Women’s Freedom Festival; the annual Dyke March; free Friday Night at OUTLOUD; OUTLOUD at WeHo Pride music festival; the WeHo Pride Parade, and a wide range of community group programming throughout Pride month. The WeHo Pride Arts Festival (June 14 – June 16) will take place at various locations throughout West Hollywood.
Additional information about #WeHoPride is posted at www.wehopride.com and @wehopride on Instagram and Facebook.
#RIDEWITHPRIDE
Avoid the hassle that is parking in LA, and be good to the environment, by using one of LA Metro’s convenient train or bus lines. Wherever you live, LA Pride is accessible by public transportation.
As Pride celebrations continue, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (Metro), is supporting all the activities. As the official transit partner of LA Pride, we’re conducting station “take overs” on Saturday, June 8 – our Chinatown station that services the concert in the park will be renamed “LA Pride Nation Station” and the station pylon will be wrapped in Pride colors. For your residents headed to the park, getting there is easy, all they have to do is take the A Line to Chinatown Station – one quick stop from L.A. Union Station. Pay Metro fare of $3.50 for a round trip on a TAP card, which cost $2 and are available for purchase at TAP vending machines at all Metro rail and busway stations. Metro has many Park & Ride lots servicing the county – parking is just $3.00 per day, payable onsite.
For the LA Pride parade and block party on Sunday, June 9 stations servicing both the Pride Parade and Block Party will be renamed and wrapped in Pride colors – Hollywood/Highland will be renamed Hollywood/Pride-land and Hollywood/Vine will be renamed Hollywood/Pride. And for those residents headed to both, they just have to take the B/D Line to Hollywood/Highland for the Parade and Hollywood/Vine for the Block Party.
Pay Metro fare of $3.50 for a round trip on a TAP car, which cost $2 and are available for purchase at TAP vending machines at all Metro rail and busway stations. Metro has many Park & Ride lots servicing the county – parking is just $3.00 per day, payable onsite.
Earlier this month, Metro also launched its “Ride with Pride” campaign. You may have already seen them, but our buses and trains are beautifully adorned with vibrant Pride themed designs, showcasing its support for the LGBTQIA+ community and enhancing the festive atmosphere for riders all month long.
LA Metro is the proud Official Transit Partner of LA Pride. Look for future announcements about Pride TAP cards, new LA Pride wrapped buses and trains for 2024, station takeovers, parties, and more!
PBS SoCal Celebrates Pride Month With Disco, George Takei and More
Select content slated to air during Pride Month is listed as follows (*schedule subject to change):
L.A.: A QUEER HISTORY – Sat., June 1 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus and Thurs., June 20 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal
The 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York has been widely regarded as the beginning of the Gay Civil Rights Movement, but the true heart of the movement, and what we know as “Gay Culture” was born in Los Angeles. This film sheds light on historical figures who are largely unacknowledged, creating a newfound dialogue about LGBTQ history but also a better understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
AMERICAN MASTERS: Ballerina Boys – Sat., June 1 at 11:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The story of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a company of men who dance on pointe as ballerinas.
DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION “Rock the Boat” – Tues., June 4 at 8:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Tues., June 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal as well as Sat., June 8 at 5:30 p.m. and Wed, June 19 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The opening episode of the series looks at the roots of disco – how it emerged from a basic desire for inclusion, visibility, and freedom among persecuted Black, gay and minority ethnic communities of New York City. It tells the remarkable story of how a global phenomenon began in the loft apartments and basement bars of New York City, where a new generation of DJs and musicians, like David Mancuso, Nicky Siano, Francis Grasso and Earl Young (The Trammps), pioneered a distinct sound and a new way of spinning records.
DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” – Tues., June 4 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Tues., June 25 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal as well as Sat., June 8 at 6:30 p.m. and Wed, June 26 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
Set against the backdrop of Black power and sexual liberation, the second episode takes viewers to the high watermark of disco in the mid ’70s. It was the birth of the “disco diva” from Gloria Gaynor and Candi Staton to Donna Summer and Thelma Houston. However, mainstream success by The Bee Gees’ soundtrack album “Saturday Night Fever,” The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and Studio 54 took disco further and further from its roots of inclusivity and freedom, as straight, white men started to embrace and repackage the sound.
DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION “Stayin’ Alive” – Tues., June 4 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Tues., July 2 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal as well as Sat., June 8 at 8 p.m. and Wed, July 3 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The final episode documents the wellspring of resentment from white, straight, male-dominated, rock-loving middle Americans, as they targeted disco for its hedonism, femininity and queerness. A vocal “Disco Sucks” movement began to gain momentum, culminating in the “Disco Demolition Derby” at Comiskey Park Stadium in Chicago, where organizers destroyed thousands of disco records in front of a baying audience of baseball fans. In addition, the hedonism and sexual liberation embodied by disco found itself stopped in its tracks by the AIDS crisis. Pushed out of the mainstream, the pioneers of disco retreated and regrouped.
DEAR IKE: LOST LETTERS TO A TEEN IDOL – Sat., June 8 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The story of a teenager’s all-consuming childhood quest to contact his boyhood idol, Ike Eisenmann, and ask him to star in an animated science-fiction epic that he was forever developing in an overstuffed three-ring binder.
UNIDAD: GAY & LESBIAN LATINOS UNIDOS – Sat., June 15 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos was founded in 1981, only a few years before HIV/AIDS began to ravage LGBTQ communities. GLLU was the Los Angeles area’s first major Queer Latin@ organization, and the film chronicles events at a pivotal time in the history of LGBTQ equality, women’s rights and civil rights movements that shaped the destinies of GLLU’s communities.
TO BE TAKEI – Wed., June 19 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus and Thurs., June 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
This award-winning documentary features Star Trek legend, marriage equality advocate and spokesperson for racial justice; superstar George Takei.
ARTBOUND: LGBTQ Nightlife – Wed., June 19 at 9 p.m. and Sun., June 23 at 4 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
In this episode of ARTBOUND, see how a roving LGBTQ night club event in Los Angeles called “Mustache Mondays” became a creative incubator for today’s leading edge contemporary artists. This film examines the history of these spaces and how they shaped the Queer cultural fabric unique to Southern California.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Stonewall Uprising” – Thurs., June 20 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat., June 22 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days.
LOST LA: Coded Geographies – Sat., June 22 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
This episode of LOST LA explores two underground guidebooks, The Negro Travelers’ Green Book and The Address Book, that reveal the hidden geographies many Angelenos had to navigate, exposing Los Angeles as a place of coded segregation and resistance.
OUTRAGE OF DANNY SOTOMAYOR: American Stories – Sun., June 23 at 5 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
Danny Sotomayor was a man on a mission to address injustice. The fiery, openly gay AIDS activist, political cartoonist and organizer took to the streets of Chicago, using civil disobedience to wage war on city officials who marginalized the LGBTQ+ community and turned a blind eye to the AIDS crisis – all while fighting a losing battle with the disease himself.
CLIVE DAVIS: The Soundtrack of Our Lives – Sat., June 29 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
A look at the life and work of record executive and producer Clive Davis, whose five-decade career has launched many superstars, including Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith.
JUSTLY WED: Scenes from the Marriage Equality Movement – Sun., June 30 at 5 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
An exploration of the experience and legacy of the 2004 gay marriages in San Francisco.
Events
Venice Pride kicks off Pride Month & honors LA Blade publisher
The Los Angeles Blade’s Founder & Publisher Troy Masters to be honored with the Bill Rosendahl Pioneer of the Year Award
LOS ANGELES – The Venice Pride Block Party returns with a renewed focus on inclusivity and community spirit. The iconic Venice sign will shine in rainbow colors for the 8th annual celebration this Friday, May 31, from 5 to 11 p.m.
Presented by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, this year’s event will again feature a free street party with DJ Victor Rodriguez, community booths, food vendors, a vibrant queer market, and more. The event is open to all ages and no registration is required, making it a welcoming celebration of LGBTQ+ pride and community unity.
With over 30 queer marketplace participants and exhibitors, the Venice Pride Block Party will offer a diverse range of products and services that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and creativity. Attendees can explore unique items from vendors like BabyGay and Prismatic Gifts, as well as services from Pride Point Volleyball and Yoga Nest Venice. Community exhibitors include the Venice Heritage Museum, LAArtsOnline.com, and more.
This vibrant marketplace provides a platform for local queer entrepreneurs and organizations to showcase their talents and connect with the community.
“Amidst a climate where LGBTQ+ voices are increasingly silenced, Venice Pride remains committed to celebrating inclusion, individuality, and diversity,” said Grant Turck, Executive Director of Venice Pride. “This year, we are especially proud to honor Los Angeles Blade Publisher Troy Masters with the Bill Rosendahl Pioneer of the Year Award. Troy’s tireless advocacy and groundbreaking work in LGBTQ+ media have provided a powerful platform for our community, ensuring our voices are heard even in challenging times. His dedication to truth, visibility, and social justice embodies the spirit of Bill Rosendahl and inspires us all to continue the fight for equality.”
The Bill Rosendahl Pioneer of the Year Award honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, reflecting the spirit of Bill Rosendahl’s dedication to social justice, inclusivity, and equality. Bill Rosendahl, a beloved Los Angeles City Council member and lifelong advocate for human rights, left an enduring legacy through his tireless work for LGBTQ+ rights and his commitment to making a difference.
Past recipients of this prestigious award include Trans Youth Advocate Shéár Avory, known for their groundbreaking efforts in supporting transgender youth, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group celebrated for their charitable work and advocacy within the LGBTQ+ community. This award continues to honor those who embody the values and activism that Rosendahl championed throughout his life.
Following the block party the community is invited to dance the night away at Gaywatch presented by L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath at Baja Cantina (311 Washington Blvd) from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Tickets ($20-25) can be purchased online at gaywatch.party/tix, with all proceeds benefiting Venice Pride.
Venice Pride
Venice Pride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through the acceptance of diversity. The mission of the organization is to celebrate the unity of Los Angeles’ coastal LGBTQ+ community, its friends and supporters through public art projects, events and ongoing outreach that inspires, commemorates and supports diversity with the unique and eclectic spirit that embodies the Venice neighborhood.
Events
LA LGBT Center celebrates with stars at annual gala raising $1.6M
Cynthia Erivo, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lena Waithe, Zaya Wade, Jewel, MUNA, and more Help Los Angeles LGBT Center Raise $1.6M
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles LGBT Center held their annual Gala Saturday night. which celebrates the unwavering dedication and remarkable achievements of LGBTQ+ leaders and advocates.
Held at the Shrine Auditorium just off the USC campus in the University Park neighborhood, The Center Gala with about 900 supporters and a bevy of entertainment celebrities was able to raise $1.6M to support its ongoing lifeline services and advocacy programs.
The Center honored Cynthia Erivo, Mickalene Thomas, and MUNA for their contributions to the LGBTQ+ community. The Gala was hosted by actor, writer, and comedian Joel Kim Booster, and featured a special performance by power pop trio MUNA—who were surprised onstage by music icon Jewel for a rendition of the chart-topping hit, “Silk Chiffon.”
Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress, singer, songwriter and producer Cynthia Erivo was honored with the Rand Schrader Award. Jada Pinkett-Smith presented her with the honor, which recognized her for her stellar achievements in entertainment and activism championing the LGBTQ+ community. During her remarks, Erivo spoke about the impact of Wicked and the importance of art in polarizing times.
“We are, as we all know, living through intensely polarized times. It seems that, all over, we are keen on seeing the world in black-and-white, rather than embracing the difficult (but beautiful) complexities of our humanity,” Erivo said. “I see it as no coincidence that the universe urged a director by the name of Jon M Chu to take on the mammoth task that is Wicked…As I stand here in front of you: Black, bald-headed, pierced, and queer, I can say I know a thing or two about being the other. Elphaba’s story is… about how a colorful, powerful, magical woman—despite being disparaged, demonized, and discriminated against—becomes a hero. Wicked is a reclamation and a reimagining of the labels used against her. It is the proclamation of her right to exist in all her power. If that sounds familiar to you colorful, magical people in this room—it should.”
Award-winning multidisciplinary artist Mickalene Thomas, considered one of the most influential visual artists of our time, was honored with this year’s Vanguard Award. Tasha Smith presented the award in recognition of her advocacy and commitment to intersecting complexities of Black and female identity within the Western canon.
“As our community faces unprecedented challenges, we all have a responsibility to create change,” said Thomas. “Each and every one of us in the room has a responsibility in our own small ways—wherever you are, however we involve ourselves within the community. It takes one person.”
The Gala’s live programming included an auction and special musical performance by power pop trio MUNA. MUNA was also presented with the Leslie Jordan Award for Excellence in the Arts presented by singer-songwriter Jewel.
“Our queerness is about working toward so many things that feel so hard to imagine,” said MUNA’s lead singer Katie Gavin. “Our queerness is overwhelmed by all the big things that we want for this world, but we try anyway and make each other laugh along the way. So, in Leslie’s honor today, we say: ‘Watch us twirl, daddy.'”
The Los Angeles LGBT Center uses funds raised by its annual Gala to support its holistic model of care—services that are accessed more than 500,000 times per year by LGBTQ+ people. This year, according to CEO Joe Hollendoner, the Center has been responding to nearly unprecedented levels of hate and hate-related violence, as the LGBTQ+ community in California experiences a political backlash.
“When our political opponents are at their worst, your Center is at its best,” said Hollendoner. “Nearly every day, I see a new young person arrive at our Anita May Rosenstein intergenerational Campus, failed by the systems meant to care for them. But unlike the parents, schools, or religious institutions that have turned their backs on these teenagers, I see the Center opening our doors and welcoming these youth into a community like none other.”
To emphasize the Center’s commitment to this fight, Joel Kim Booster announced the debut of the organization’s new PSA, titled “We Are Family,” voiced by award-winning actress Jennifer Garner.
Other highlights for the evening included the unveiling of three short films directed by National Anthem director Luke Gilford, who profiled three different clients of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The videos were presented by RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Symone, Valentina, and Laith Ashley.
Comedian Dana Goldberg presided over the live auction, which featured prizes from longtime LGBTQ+ advocates and musical icons, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera.
This year’s Gala was supported by Presenting Sponsor: Gilead Sciences, Inc. Platinum Sponsors include Glamazon L.A.—Amazon’s LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Gold Sponsors are Contractors State License Schools and Construction Insurance Agency, PS, and U.S. Bank. The event’s Official Airline Partner is American Airlines.
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Events
What to expect at the 2024 National Cannabis Festival
With performances by Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, and Thundercat, the 2024 National Cannabis Festival will be bigger than ever this year
WASHINGTON — With two full days of events and programs along with performances by Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, and Thundercat, the 2024 National Cannabis Festival will be bigger than ever this year.
Leading up to the festivities on Friday and Saturday at Washington, D.C.’s RFK Stadium are plenty of can’t-miss experiences planned for 420 Week, including the National Cannabis Policy Summit and an LGBTQ happy hour hosted by the District’s Black-owned queer bar, Thurst Lounge (both happening on Wednesday).
On Tuesday, the Blade caught up with NCF Founder and Executive Producer Caroline Phillips, principal at The High Street PR & Events, for a discussion about the event’s history and the pivotal political moment for cannabis legalization and drug policy reform both locally and nationally. Phillips also shared her thoughts about the role of LGBTQ activists in these movements and the through-line connecting issues of freedom and bodily autonomy.
After D.C. residents voted to approve Initiative 71 in the fall of 2014, she said, adults were permitted to share cannabis and grow the plant at home, while possession was decriminalized with the hope and expectation that fewer people would be incarcerated.
“When that happened, there was also an influx of really high-priced conferences that promised to connect people to big business opportunities so they could make millions in what they were calling the ‘green rush,'” Phillips said.
“At the time, I was working for Human Rights First,” a nonprofit that was, and is, engaged in “a lot of issues to do with world refugees and immigration in the United States” — so, “it was really interesting to me to see the overlap between drug policy reform and some of these other issues that I was working on,” Phillips said.
“And then it rubbed me a little bit the wrong way to hear about the ‘green rush’ before we’d heard about criminal justice reform around cannabis and before we’d heard about people being let out of jail for cannabis offenses.”
“As my interests grew, I realized that there was really a need for this conversation to happen in a larger way that allowed the larger community, the broader community, to learn about not just cannabis legalization, but to understand how it connects to our criminal justice system, to understand how it can really stimulate and benefit our economy, and to understand how it can become a wellness tool for so many people,” Phillips said.
“On top of all of that, as a minority in the cannabis space, it was important to me that this event and my work in the cannabis industry really amplified how we could create space for Black and Brown people to be stakeholders in this economy in a meaningful way.”
“Since I was already working in event production, I decided to use those skills and apply them to creating a cannabis event,” she said. “And in order to create an event that I thought could really give back to our community with ticket prices low enough for people to actually be able to attend, I thought a large-scale event would be good — and thus was born the cannabis festival.”
D.C. to see more regulated cannabis businesses ‘very soon’
Phillips said she believes decriminalization in D.C. has decreased the number of cannabis-related arrests in the city, but she noted arrests have, nevertheless, continued to disproportionately impact Black and Brown people.
“We’re at a really interesting crossroads for our city and for our cannabis community,” she said. In the eight years since Initiative 71 was passed, “We’ve had our licensed regulated cannabis dispensaries and cultivators who’ve been existing in a very red tape-heavy environment, a very tax heavy environment, and then we have the unregulated cannabis cultivators and cannabis dispensaries in the city” who operate via a “loophole” in the law “that allows the sharing of cannabis between adults who are over the age of 21.”
Many of the purveyors in the latter group, Phillips said, “are looking at trying to get into the legal space; so they’re trying to become regulated businesses in Washington, D.C.”
She noted the city will be “releasing 30 or so licenses in the next couple of weeks, and those stores should be coming online very soon” which will mean “you’ll be seeing a lot more of the regulated stores popping up in neighborhoods and hopefully a lot more opportunity for folks that are interested in leaving the unregulated space to be able to join the regulated marketplace.”
The national push for de-scheduling cannabis
Signaling the political momentum for reforming cannabis and criminal justice laws, Wednesday’s Policy Summit will feature U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate majority leader.
Also representing Capitol Hill at the Summit will be U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) — who will be receiving the Supernova Women Cannabis Champion Lifetime Achievement Award — along with an aide to U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio).
Nationally, Phillips said much of the conversation around cannabis concerns de-scheduling. Even though 40 states and D.C. have legalized the drug for recreational and/or medical use, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I substance since the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1971, which means it carries the heftiest restrictions on, and penalties for, its possession, sale, distribution, and cultivation.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services formally requested the drug be reclassified as a Schedule III substance in August, which inaugurated an ongoing review, and in January a group of 12 Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Biden-Harris administration’s Drug Enforcement Administration urging the agency to de-schedule cannabis altogether.
Along with the Summit, Phillips noted that “a large contingent of advocates will be coming to Washington, D.C. this week to host a vigil at the White House and to be at the festival educating people” about these issues. She said NCF is working with the 420 Unity Coalition to push Congress and the Biden-Harris administration to “move straight to de-scheduling cannabis.”
“This would allow folks who have been locked up for cannabis offenses the chance to be released,” she said. “It would also allow medical patients greater access. It would also allow business owners the chance to exist without the specter of the federal government coming in and telling them what they’re doing is wrong and that they’re criminals.”
Phillips added, however, that de-scheduling cannabis will not “suddenly erase” the “generations and generations of systemic racism” in America’s financial institutions, business marketplace, and criminal justice system, nor the consequences that has wrought on Black and Brown communities.
An example of the work that remains, she said, is making sure “that all people are treated fairly by financial institutions so that they can get the funding for their businesses” to, hopefully, create not just another industry, but “really a better industry” that from the outset is focused on “equity” and “access.”
Policy wonks should be sure to visit the festival, too. “We have a really terrific lineup in our policy pavilion,” Phillips said. “A lot of our heavy hitters from our advocacy committee will be presenting programming.”
“On Saturday there is a really strong federal marijuana reform panel that is being led by Maritza Perez Medina from the Drug Policy Alliance,” she said. “So that’s going to be a terrific discussion” that will also feature “representation from the Veterans Cannabis Coalition.”
“We also have a really interesting talk being led by the Law Enforcement Action Partnership about conservatives, cops, and cannabis,” Phillips added.
Cannabis and the LGBTQ community
“I think what’s so interesting about LGBTQIA+ culture and the cannabis community are the parallels that we’ve seen in the movements towards legalization,” Phillips said.
The fight for LGBTQ rights over the years has often involved centering personal stories and personal experiences, she said. “And that really, I think, began to resonate, the more that we talked about it openly in society; the more it was something that we started to see on television; the more it became a topic in youth development and making sure that we’re raising healthy children.”
Likewise, Phillips said, “we’ve seen cannabis become more of a conversation in mainstream culture. We’ve heard the stories of people who’ve had veterans in their families that have used cannabis instead of pharmaceuticals, the friends or family members who’ve had cancer that have turned to CBD or THC so they could sleep, so they could eat so they could get some level of relief.”
Stories about cannabis have also included accounts of folks who were “arrested when they were young” or “the family member who’s still locked up,” she said, just as stories about LGBTQ people have often involved unjust and unnecessary suffering.
Not only are there similarities in the socio-political struggles, Phillips said, but LGBTQ people have played a central role pushing for cannabis legalization and, in fact, in ushering in the movement by “advocating for HIV patients in California to be able to access cannabis’s medicine.”
As a result of the queer community’s involvement, she said, “the foundation of cannabis legalization is truly patient access and criminal justice reform.”
“LGBTQIA+ advocates and cannabis advocates have managed to rein in support of the majority of Americans for the issues that they find important,” Phillips said, even if, unfortunately, other movements for bodily autonomy like those concerning issues of reproductive justice “don’t see that same support.”
(Editor’s note: Tickets are still available for the National Cannabis Festival, with prices starting at $55 for one-day general admission on Friday through $190 for a two-day pass with early-entry access. The Washington Blade, one of the event’s sponsors, will host a LGBTQIA+ Lounge and moderate a panel discussion on Saturday with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.)
Events
Cynthia Erivo to be honored at LA LGBT Center Gala
This year’s gala features a special musical performance by pop trio MUNA, who will receive the Leslie Jordan Award for Excellence in the Arts
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles LGBT Center, the world’s largest queer-serving nonprofit organization, announced Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress, singer, songwriter and producer Cynthia Erivo will be honored with the Schrader Award at this year’s Center Gala on May 18, 2024.
A global sensation and proud queer woman, Erivo will be recognized for her stellar achievements in entertainment and activism championing the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m thrilled to continue my support for the Los Angeles LGBT Center—an organization that does so much for our community,” Erivo said. “I can’t wait to celebrate with my fellow presenters and honorees, and of course, our queer family in LA.”
Mickalene Thomas, considered one of the most influential visual artists of our time, will be honored with this year’s Vanguard Award. Thomas is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose work has yielded widely celebrated aesthetic languages within contemporary visual culture. An out lesbian, she’s recognized for her advocacy and commitment to intersecting complexities of Black and female identity within the Western canon.
“It’s an honor to be recognized alongside Cynthia and so many other talented members of our community,” said Thomas. “I’m excited to kick off an incredible Pride season in LA with the Los Angeles LGBT Center.”
This year’s gala will also feature a special musical performance by power pop trio MUNA, who will receive the Leslie Jordan Award for Excellence in the Arts.
“We are facing unprecedented attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, which means the Center’s work is more urgent than ever,” said the organization’s CEO, Joe Hollendoner. “Now is the time to strengthen our support for the movement and celebrate with fierce, radical joy.”
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