This Year’s Gay Pride Parade Will Be Drastically Different

Image via Wikipedia

For years, gay pride parades have had the spirit of political protests. Unabashedly dressed up in glitter, tutus, and feathers, members of the LGBTQ community resist heteronormative policies every year simply by showing up and enjoying themselves. This June, however, Christopher Street West, the nonprofit that organizes LA Pride, will work with the LGBT Resist March to take a more active political stance.

While there will still be parties and performances for loyal attendees, this year, organizers will replace the standard float-filled parade with a protest march to address Trump’s blatantly anti-LGBTQ stance. Considering Trump removed bathroom protections for trans students in February and is a big fan of denying basic human rights to queer people via “religious freedom” orders, this transition from parade to protest should be obvious. On another more practical side, long-term construction in West Hollywood Park will subtract 70 percent of the space LA Pride typically occupies, meaning organizers will have a tougher time finding space for musical acts.

All things considered, it makes sense that pride attendees might be more interested in protesting than partying. “Given the current political climate where divisiveness and discrimination continue to be part of mainstream dialogue,” organizers write on the event’s website, “CSW is determined to make the LA Pride brand a unifying force for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies across all of Los Angeles.” In addition to the June 11 protest, LA Pride organizers launched several local initiatives, including a community advisory committee and monthly volunteer opportunities, to keep the activist energy going year-round.

Given that roughly 750,000 people showed up at the Women’s March in LA this January, we can safely expect Angelenos to make a similarly huge impact come pride weekend.