Losangelesblade.com, Volume 3, Issue 22, May 31, 2019 Pride Guide

#JUSTUNITE Your official guide to LA Pride 2019 The subliminal beauty of LGBT unity Stonewall 50 demonstrates connectivity

By KAREN OCAMB kocamb@losangelesblade.com

Members of the original Gay Activists Alliance and Gay Liberation Front in NY for the 25th anniversary of Stonewall Photo by Karen Ocamb

Each year since 1970, LGBT people and their allies pause to celebrate the spontaneous uprising at the Stonewall Inn the year before.

Like the match struck at the beginning of Mission Impossible, the two nights of unbridled protests by society’s most marginalized on June 28 and June 29, 1969 ignited a flashpoint for the launch of the modern day LGBT movement.

But Stonewall did not happen in a political or cultural vacuum. And it was not the first gay rebellion against police raids— the1959 Cooper Do-nuts Riot and the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria riot, the Feb. 11, 1967 demonstration at the Black Cat Tavern in Silver Lake protesting violent LAPD harassment on New Year’s Eve, for instance, brought out 200 courageous gays

and lesbians who knew what to expect from the armed anti-gay police just months before the hippy Flower Power love fest known as the Summer of Love kicked in. And in August 1968, Lee Glaze, owner and manager of The Patch on Pacific Coast Highway, took the protest to the police.

Consider the context of the times. Street and college protests against the ugly Vietnam Continues on page 02

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Harry Hay’s 80th birthday in WeHo with Keiko Lane, 17, and Robert Nemchik, who died of AIDS a few months later

Jim Mangia and Jose Sarria

Photo by Karen Ocamb

Photo by Karen Ocamb

Continued from page 01 War were growing, with terrified straight and gay 18 year olds sometimes pretending to be gay to escape military service—though often potentially dying in the jungles of Southeast Asia seemed preferable to the crushing and dangerous stigma of being labeled “homosexual” at home.

The world profoundly changed in 1968 and the anti-war protests and counterculture movement became training grounds for resistance, empowering oppressed minorities, including gays and lesbians, to refuse to bow to the daily normalized violent harassment from police and the dominant white conformist society.

These moments happened in 1968: Jan 30 – the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive exposes the lies told by President Johnson’s administration that the U.S. is winning the war. For the first time, Americans grasp that they cannot automatically trust their president. Feb. 29 - the Kerner Commission studying America’s race riots determines that the country is “moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.” The first week in March in Los Angeles – an estimated 15,000 Latino high school students stage a walk out demanding better education. April 4 – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis by white supremacist James Earl Ray, prompting riots in over 100 cities, leaving 39 people dead, 2,600 injured and an untold number emotionally and psychologically devastated.

April 23 – students protesting their university’s ties to the military industrial complex take

over five buildings at prestigious Columbia University, prompting similar takeovers at colleges and universities around the country. May 6 – more than 5,000 students riot in Paris, resulting in sympathy strikes.

June 4 – Democratic anti-war presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California primary. Aug. 5-8 – Republican “law and order” presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon is nominated at the Republican National Convention.

It is against this backdrop that “The Blond Darling” Lee Glaze finally stood up to the noxious under-cover LAPD vice squad. After yet another raid and several arrests, Glaze got on his drag stage and promising to pay for legal bills, rallied his patrons into action.

They marched up to a flower shop up the street, bought all the flowers (except pansies, apparently) and took their flower power to the Harbor Division Police Station, demanding bail and the release of those arrested during the raid. The Patch raid and successful protest had profound effects, including inspiring Rev. Troy Perry to found the Metropolitan Community Church—”a church for all of us who are outcasts”—after his boyfriend Tony Valdez was arrested.

One year after The Patch raid, Los Angeles reeled from the Manson murders (Aug, 9-10, 1969), more than 500,000 peace and loveseeking, sexually liberated hippies showed up at Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethal, New York for three days of the rock ‘n roll Woodstock Festival (Aug. 15-18), and the Democratic

National Convention in Chicago erupted in a police riot live on TV (Aug. 28) with bleeding antiwar protesters screaming: “The Whole World Is Watching!” But by the end of 1969, a Rolling Stones concert guarded by Hells Angels at Altamont Speedway in California where one man was murdered. Woodstock and the Age of Aquarius seemed over.

In the meantime, on July 20, Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon and declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” in the Moon landing televised live around the world.

And on Nov. 15, the Vietnam Moratorium Committee, organized by then-closeted politico David Mixner and three friends, created the largest antiwar protest in U.S. history when roughly 250,000-500,00 people showed up for a non-violent civil disobedience protest in Washington, D.C. Just four months after Stonewall, a contingent of out and proud radical Gay Liberation demonstrators turned up, too, dancing in pink tutus and veils through the Key Bridge campsite’s food line on Sunday, and transforming into fierce protesters when the action got underway, as witnessed by this reporter.

Stonewall took on legendary status in 1970 after demonstrators from New York contacted well-known antiwar gay activist Morris Kight in Los Angeles to commemorate the June 28 uprising with a parade. Radical activists created the Gay Liberation Front and the less-radical, more organized Gay Activists Alliance immediately after Stonewall, with Kight, Don Kilhefner and other members Continues on page 04

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Rev. Carl Bean and Paul Kawata

Transsexual Menace Shirley Bushnell (center)

Photo by Karen Ocamb

Photo by Karen Ocamb

Continued from page 02 of the Gay Liberation Front of Los Angeles founding such lasting projects as the LA Gay Community Services Center, the precursor to the Los Angeles LGBT Center of today.

While passionate conflicts within and between organizations sometimes ruined efforts to provide much needed services to LGBT people—“oppression sickness,” Kight called it—there is an undercurrent of connectivity, of conscious and unconscious awareness in which LGBT people are aware of each other—aware of the need for secrecy when called for, aware of the need for a hug when others declare LGBT person untouchable. LGBT people are still officially second-class citizens, an unrecognized minority that has created community across numerous boundaries, including internal roadblocks.

“It took many years of vomiting up all the filth I’d been taught about myself, and halfbelieved, before I was able to walk in the earth as though I had a right to be here,” gay author James Baldwin once wrote.

It is precisely that shared experience that LGBT people recognize within themselves and each other. That sense of community may be “a useful fiction,” as AIDS activist Michael Callen once said, but it a community that also embraces all others. Racism, sexism, xenophobia exit—Jewel Thais-Williams created Catch One Disco in response to the racism at West Hollywood’s Studio One and other discos.

But ironically, the LGBT community in many ways exemplifies the complex “peace and love” legacy of the Age of Aquarius better than

other minorities. During the AIDS crisis, when government, society, and families disavowed their AIDS-infected and dying loved ones, LGBT people came out and took care of each other, often with help from soulful straight allies.

Empathy and inclusivity are at the core of LGBT unity. Mattachine Society founder Harry Hay celebrated his 80th birthday at West Hollywood’s Plummer Park in October 1992 surrounded by his beloved young community from Queer Nation, ACT UP and the Radical Faeries.

Non-assimilationists, especially effeminate men, led the way in gender expression.

While ideology may yank some LGBT politicos from their community mooring, the respect for those fighting for LGBT freedom and civil rights earns respect and connection regardless of electoral politics. Jim Mangia, now president & CEO of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, providing healthcare to predominately low-income Latinos, African Americans and transgender folk in South LA, was once the unanimously elected national Secretary of the Reform Party in 1997, with a proven record of working to establish a third party in California and the nation. In 2000, he publically fought anti-LGBT Patrick Buchanan for control of the party. Mangia is also an admirer of early gay Democratic Party icon Jose Sarria, founder of the Imperial Court System and the first openly gay candidate who sought public office when in 1961, he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Perhaps one of the best examples of LGBT unity and connectivity occurred after the LA

Riots in 1992. As Los Angeles burned, much of the attention was on the perceived warfare between the Black and Asian communities.

But Rev. Carl Bean called a community meeting at his Unity Fellowship Church in South LA and invited one of LGBT nation’s best known Asian leaders, Paul Kawata, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, to demonstrate the unity within the LGBT community. After the meeting, the attendees helped clean up the charred streets of Los Angeles.

And prime example of LGBT connectivity and unity is the quieter, constant behind the scenes action of Transsexual Menace Shirley Bushnell who fiercely advocated for transgender rights before the Trans Lives Matter movement. Bushnell, with backing from ally lawyers and activists, badgered the LAPD and the LA Sheriff’s Department for better treatment and respect. Her constant activism paved the way for trans activists such as Karina Samala and Mason Davis to secure actual policy changes in law enforcement.

It’s 2019 and America is under attack from within. That is our historical context today.

LGBT people and other minorities are facing equality rollbacks and brazen injustices that feel as if the pursuit of freedom hasn’t progressed much in the 50 years since Stonewall. But it has, including in the quiet and loud collective insistence on unity whenever the LGBT tribe is attacked. White supremacy will never tear asunder that shared bond of pain and the beautiful connection of an outsider’s love for each other.

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Pride Nights blossom in stadiums across Los Angeles LGBTQ outreach by sports teams have become a staple in Southern California

By CYD ZEIGLER

Over the last decade, Pride Nights in sports have grown from a curiosity in a handful of baseball stadiums to a mainstay of professional sports schedules. With encouragement from some pro-sports league front offices, teams across professional sports are now embracing the hosting of a night covered in rainbow flags and dedicated to embracing the LGBTQ community.

It’s a sign of the times, this push for diversity and inclusion. As professional sports teams have more competition for eyeballs and ticket buyers – from the cineplex, phones, e-sports and everything else in between – they are looking for any edge to sell more tickets to a broader range of people.

Los Angeles Dodgers One of the world’s most LGBTQ-inclusive sports entities is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers held what is believed to be the first “LGBT Night” in pro sports in 2000. But it came about under pretty auspicious circumstances.

Earlier that season a security guard had kicked a lesbian couple out of Dodger Stadium for kissing one another, after a fan had allegedly complained. When the Dodgers front office found out, they were mortified and donated 5,000 tickets to LGBTQ groups. On Sept. 6 of that year, with the lesbian couple sitting behind home plate, the team held “Gay and Lesbian Night at Dodger Stadium.”

For the last few years the Dodgers have held the largest LGBT Night in all of sports, selling many thousands of tickets. This year’s LGBT Night is May 31, with Dodgers part-owners and partners Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss throwing out the game’s ceremonial opening pitch.

For the Dodgers, the commitment to the community runs deep. The team has had two players known to be gay: Glenn Burke in the 1970s and Billy Bean in 1989. Today one of the club’s senior vice presidents, Erik Braverman, is one of the highest-profile out LGBTQ people in sports.

While most other teams have their Pride Night and have very little presence in the LGBTQ community outside of that, the Dodgers engage in other events like Outsports Pride, being held

in Los Angeles June 6-9, and working closely with LGBTQ organizations like Varsity Gay League, the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, LA Pride and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Los Angeles Sparks Our city’s WNBA team will host its Pride Night on June 27, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Far beyond Pride Nights, the Sparks have had a genuine relationship with the LGBTQ community for years. Almost 20 years ago the team embraced a strategy of LGBTQ outreach, even as the WNBA as a league and other teams tried to distance themselves from the community.

The Sparks even at times made appearances at lesbian events and establishments in West Hollywood and across L.A.

Hockey in L.A. Thanks in part to the NHL’s relationship with the You Can Play project, the Kings have been engaged with the LGBTQ community for years.

While some teams have more broadly defined the NHL’s mandated “Hockey Is For Everyone” nights, recognizing people from various marginalized communities, the Kings have continued to host their Pride Night, with some players wrapping their blades in rainbowcolored Pride Tape to demonstrate their push for acceptance on the ice.

The Kings have made it a point to highlight the local LGBTQ hockey team Los Angeles Blades in some of their efforts, including a brief interview with a team member during their 2019 Pride Night broadcast in March.

The Anaheim Ducks have also hosted Pride Nights, complete with a rainbow-inspired Ducks T-shirt giveaway.

Two NBA teams Both the Lakers and Clippers are relatively new to LGBTQ outreach. Each of them had a Pride Night last season, with the Lakers scheduling theirs during a preseason game last October. A

unique twist to the night was that every single person entering Staples Center received a Lakers shirt in rainbow colors, thanks to the sponsorship of UCLA Health. The team did a great job splashing the rainbow flag throughout the arena. It in part came about because Riley Buss-Drexel, grandson of former Lakers legendary owner Jerry Buss and part of the team ownership group, is gay and passionate about expanding the team’s outreach to the community.

The Clippers held a Pride Night on New Year’s Day this year and featured a panel discussion addressing LGBTQ issues in sports led by Lambda Basketball. The team actually helped organize its first Pride Night in 2011, co-hosted by Equality California and Outsports.

Battling ‘Puto’ on the Pitch In no American pro sport is vocal homophobia more present than in soccer. Fans sometimes chant “puto” – a gay slur in Spanish – during matches. Last year they even chanted the slur during the L.A. Galaxy’s Pride Night and some LAFC fans chanted it during the club’s lone playoff match. It’s something that Major League Soccer, as well as LAFC and the Galaxy, have all taken seriously and vowed to eradicate from their stadiums, creating policies and procedures to combat the chants. There have been no public reports of the chant at these club’s home matches during the 2019 season.

Yet the Major League Soccer teams in L.A. have a long history of hosting Pride Nights and other LGBTQ outreach. The now-defunct Chivas USA hosted an Equality Night in 2011, complete with a pre-game reception with the NOH8 campaign, also involving Cheer LA, the LA Gay Men’s Chorus and the It Gets Better project.

This year both of Los Angeles’ current MLS teams are hosting Pride Nights, with LAFC celebrating on May 24 and the Galaxy on June 2.

Of course the Galaxy have the proud history of playing the first publicly out athlete in men’s major American pro sports, when Robbie Rogers took to the pitch for the club in 2013. He retired in 2017 and now lives with his husband, Greg Berlanti,

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Grip me, Flip me, Squeeze me, Fill Me. Tired of messy sheets and slippery hands, Aaron and Erin decided to dedicate their time to creating Lube Light. Married and curious, they noticed something missing from the market, something no one had dreamed up before: the perfect lube dispenser with a light that keeps the heat of the moment front and center, or on all fours. Plenty of prototypes and hard work later, they created the world’s first illuminated lid system. Let’s keep playtime light, sex fun, and keep things slippery.

Lube Light is an after-market personal lubricant bottle that is compatible with both silicone and water-based lubes. When the cap is opened, a hidden LED automatically turns on, directed at your point of application.

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Photo courtesy Los Angeles Dodgers

and two kids.

Anaheim Angels In stark contrast to their MLB neighbors to the north, the Anaheim Angels are hosting the club’s first-ever Pride Night on June 25. It’s hard to believe a SoCal team like the Angels would take this long to extend an olive branch to the LGBTQ community, but that’s the truth.

Rams and Chargers No NFL team has ever hosted an official team game called a “Pride Game” or anything of the sort. That includes both the Rams and Chargers, who just moved to Los Angeles a couple years ago.

A big part of that reason is that most NFL teams sell out all of their games anyway; For many sports clubs, if there are no tickets to sell there isn’t a big reason to do a promotional event, and that’s how most of them view Pride Games.

The Rams have, however, made some positive gestures toward the community. They sponsored Venice Pride a couple years ago. Molly Higgins is a publicly out executive in the team’s front office.

And their two male cheerleaders – Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies – are both publicly out. The Rams also famously drafted Michael Sam before moving to L.A. The Chargers have made an effort as well, a couple years ago hosting Chargers viewing parties at the Roosterfish in Venice. Yet with the Chargers having such difficulty selling tickets for their home games at StubHub Center, it’s a head-scratcher why the team hasn’t created the league’s first-ever Pride Night.

College sports While it’s not as common for college sports teams to host Pride Nights, some of them do. The UCLA softball team, which has been a national top-three team for most of the season and is

chasing a national title, held a three-day Pride Weekend when they played Cal in late March.

The first 200 fans who wore rainbow colors to the matches got in free.

The Kiss Cam One of the neat developments across many of the Pride Nights in Los Angeles has been the inclusion of same-sex couples on the Kiss Cam. The Dodgers have at times included as many as a half-dozen LGBTQ couples. The Kings and Clippers have also featured same-sex couples to big applause from the crowd. For years the Kiss Cam had been used on occasion to embarrass guys (assumed to be straight) with a kiss. The turn-around by various teams in LA has been an important step.

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LA Pride sees upswing in sponsors after struggles Staffing changes lead to cash influx for 49th annual celebration

By SAMSON AMORE

After several tumultuous years and struggles to secure funding for its annual Pride Parade and Festival, the Christopher Street West Association Inc. is seeing an upswing in donations this year as it approaches the 50year anniversary of organizing the event.

Several changes to the 49th annual festival marked a first, including securing new big-box retail sponsors, hiring a dedicated, salaried staff and securing a full broadcast of the parade on KABC/ABC7 News.

Christopher Street West Board President Estevan Montemayor said, “we have more sponsors than ever before, and more community partners in the parade than ever before. This festival has expanded in ways the founders couldn’t even imagine 49 years ago.”

Montemayor took the post of president in May 2018 after Christopher Street West Association’s previous president, Christopher Classen, was removed due to allegations of self-dealing transactions.

Shortly afterwards, Montemayor and the Christopher Street West board hired the Aspen Leadership Group to aid in finding a full-time executive director and operations manager in October 2017.

The Association and Aspen Leadership eventually selected Executive Director Madonna Cacciatore in July 2018. Cacciatore formerly served as the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s special events fundraising director for seven years, and also worked for AIDS Project Los Angeles, bringing an existing network of nonprofit contacts and donors to the Christopher Street West Association.

So did the Association’s new sponsorship consultant Michael Fereirra, Montemayor said.

“One of the things I recognized when I joined the board was to move the organization into the next 50 years, we needed to pivot and have dedicated staff,” said Montemayor.

Hiring new talent was crucial, but it also meant the Christopher Street West Association needed to raise more money.

“We have other costs now associated with the

organization and we now have employees; we pay benefits and salaries now, which is new,” Montemayor said. “Between all that, the need to raise more funds is important.”

This year, telecommunications giant Verizon Wireless Inc. paid Christopher Street West Association $1 million to be the title sponsor of the 49th and 50th annual Pride Parades.

The gift was “the single largest contribution we ever received as an organization, (and) that’s pretty incredible,” Montemayor noted.

New board member Craig Greiwe brought the connection to Verizon with him when he joined the board’s new class in October 2018 and it proved to be valuable. “It’s really important that new board members and staff brought relationships, without them we wouldn’t be able to execute these agreements,” said Montemayor.

Montemayor noted that large brands such as Anheuser Busch Inc.’s Bud Light, Delta, Wells Fargo, and Mac Cosmetics have been with the organization “for decades” and aren’t a stranger to sponsoring the festival. That said, the overall volume of large companies writing larger checks is relatively new.

Standard corporate fees for corporate sponsors total roughly $10,000 said Ghiyom Turmel, coordinator of Sawtelle-based game developer Riot Games’ sponsorship of Pride for the second year in a row.

“For me, it is important to be a champion for my organization and push Riot to participate in these events because representation matters.

It all clicked when I first participated at Pride with my previous video game company gear and I had so many gaymers coming up to me, being so happy to see that there were gay people in the industry and that maybe that was a place where they could grow their career without fear of being singled out,” Turmel said.

New brands this year that signed up to sponsor the Parade and Festival include Johnson & Johnson, Charles Smith Wines, and Cesar’s Entertainment. Montemayor would not disclose how much each sponsor

contributed, but said they are all presenting sponsors, the second highest sponsorship tier Johnson & Johnson, Cesar’s Entertainment and Mac Cosmetics are co-sponsoring the L.A. Pride opening ceremony, which features a free evening performance by Paula Abdul.

Even local sports teams want a piece of the rainbow cake — on May 31 the Los Angeles Dodgers will welcome LGBT fans to Dodger Stadium for an official Pride kickoff celebration. The Dodgers “have donated in the last few years,” Montemayor said.

KABC ABC7 News signed up to be the weekend’s first parade broadcast sponsor and will do pre-parade coverage on June 6 and broadcast live parade coverage on June 7. “The View’s” Raven Symone will be one of the co-hosts of the broadcast.

Montemayor said announcing the KABC showing was a big draw for sponsors, partially because of the potential to reach even more people.

“There has been a resounding amount of excitement regarding this, it’s an important step for the financial side of the organization (and) we’re seeing we’re able to expand our footprint digitally in a way people haven’t imagined before,” Montemayor noted.

Not only are event sponsorships key to the Pride Festival’s success,they can also determine the success of the Christopher Street West Association’s following year.

Proceeds from Pride fuel other programs, including Platform, a collaboration between CSW and the LA LGBT Center that trains young transgender people to become advocates and lobby elected officials.

A scholarship for Queer Studies majors at USC is funded partially through Pride proceeds, as is CSW’s newly revived community grant program.

The program awards queer-friendly nonprofits $1,000 to $10,000, “based on proceeds from the festival and parade,” and was stopped a few years ago due to lack of funds, said Montemayor. CSW is fiscally sound enough to bring the grant program

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back this year, thanks in part to its robust new sponsorships.

Giving back to the West Hollywood and Greater L.A. community remains a motivator

for the CSW’s new director and staff to continue its momentum.

“CSW has continued to survive because its story is so poignant,” said Montemayor. “Next

year we will be doing more to raise funds for this organization to make sure it’s successful and always has a net profit every year,” said Montemayor.

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ERIC GARCETTI MAYOR May 31, 2019 Dear Friends, On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, welcome to Pride 2019.

Pride is one of our City’s largest events, bringing people together from across L.A. County and beyond to celebrate the heritage and culture of our LGBTQ+ community and its allies. We unite to reaffirm our determination, our dedication, and our resolve. We lift up our voices and ensure we will never be silenced.

This year’s Pride marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, a pivotal moment that helped ignite the LGBTQ+ rights movement across the country and around the world. It was at the Black Cat Tavern in Silver Lake where two gay couples sealed the New Year with a kiss, and were assaulted by the police in retaliation. Angelenos stood up against hate then, and haven’t stopped since.

Hate has no place in Los Angeles, and we must take that message to every city across America. We will not tell Angelenos to be patient, or to wait for the respect and the rights that they deserve.

We are proud of every lesbian, gay, trans, bi, queer, intersex, asexual person, and ally who calls L.A. home.

On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, I join the Los Angeles Blade in wishing everyone a happy, safe, and meaningful Pride month.

In solidarity,

ERIC GARCETTI Mayor

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weho’s pride ride is the free and easy way to get across town during pride weekend! weho.org/pride | weho.org/prideride

LA Pride takes Santa Monica Boulevard A revolution for an event that celebrates one

By SUSAN HORNIK

With three days of jubilant programming across multiple stages and performance venues, LA Pride attracts hundreds of thousands of parade spectators and attendees. This year’s #JUSTUNITE theme embraces the idea that the work the LGBTQ community does together is ultimately what will make it stronger and more resilient.

Making the event as vibrant and unique each year is always a challenge, but Christopher Street West’s (CSW) new executive director, Madonna Cacciatore passionately endeavors to try. This year, beyond the entertainment staging areas, Madonna has spearheaded a few changes many hope will make the festival more vibrant, interactive and accessible.

About 2019 Pride The City of West Hollywood, the West Hollywood Chamber, and local businesses have all been great partners in inspiring a revitalized LA Pride. There are many new elements this year, including Pride on the Boulevard, a weekend block party and LGBTQ stage, all of which are free to the public.

Guests can gather and watch local performers on both Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 from 12-7 p.m. The block party will be located on Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson Boulevards.

“Our community really spoke to us about wanting free access to LA Pride,” Cacciatore told the Los Angeles Blade. “With the support of our sponsors, businesses, and city and community partners, we were able to make that happen. There will be pedestrian only traffic between Robertson and Hancock on Santa Monica Boulevard. The businesses along that part of the street and beyond are excited to activate even bigger this year.”

The ticketed portion of Pride gets you inside the festival, where all the music headliners are, along with numerous food vendors like Trejo’s Tacos, Jacko’s Pizza, Farmboy Foods, Fat Dragon, Oatley, Vurger Guyz, Deli Doctor and Middle Feast.

Cacciatore and her team also added Oil Can Harry’s at the Robertson Beer Garden, and The Palms’ lesbian bar in Koontz’ parking lot.

The two new beer gardens include historic bar pop-ups, creating spaces that connect important elements and locations within LGBT history to today’s consumer. “There will be no cover charge to get into either bar but you must be 21+.”

The Robertson Beer Garden will have a giant Ferris wheel, which is $5 per ride.

The parade is bigger and better than ever this year, with more contingents than in recent history, and a live broadcast by the festival’s sponsor, ABC7. VIP Backstage Experience ticket holders will also have new benefits this year, which include viewing the festivities in the CHE | Palihouse |LA Pride Garden, at the Sal Guarriello Veterans Memorial Park near Holloway and Santa Monica Blvd.

“Friday night, there will be an official opening ceremony with a blessing by a TwoSpirit Tongva leader, which is free,” enthused Cacciatore. “Both stages will be open with programming that includes a vogue ball, DJs, a performance by Todrick Hall, and a one-hour show by Paula Abdul. Verizon will present “5B,” the inspirational documentary about the early years of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, which will premiere on the Plaza Stage.”

Jewel’s Catch One, named in honor of lesbian activist Jewel Thais-Williams, (check out the Netflix documentary on her) will be inside the ticketed festival and will feature programming by Delta Airlines and the Grammy Recording Academy. “It was important to us to bring our 49-year history to Pride this year,” noted Cacciatore, who is in her first year as executive director.

Cacciatore is especially excited about Pride’s micro experiences, like the Trans Galleria, a collaborative trans community space.

“With the leadership of CSW board members Alexandra Magallon and Johanna Padilla, this is an expanded version of last year’s amazing event, which features artwork by artists from

the local transgender community. The art will be for sale and there will be a silent auction.

Proceeds go directly to the artists.”

Exhibitor Row is also going to be bigger this year, added Cacciatore. “In addition to nonprofit tents, education, games, music, and art, we are bringing back LGBTQ-owned small businesses. There will be more than 70 on the boulevard and 20 inside the festival on San Vicente.”

CSW Board of Directors member Mistress Cyan is once again curating and programming Erotic City, an adults-only (18+) zone celebrating leather and eroticism and the BDSM community.

Held at the West Hollywood Auditorium, Erotic City will feature interactive areas hosted

by Sanctuary LAX, Avatar Los Angeles, The SoCal Men’s Bondage Club and C-Men during the day. Participants get the opportunity to watch, learn and experience bondage, flogging, erotic massage and more in a safe environment. There are also vendors with various lines of fetish and BDSM gear ranging from leather harnesses, corsets, floggers and more. The Bullet Bar will host a Cigar Lounge for those Leathermen and women who enjoy cigar fetish. A cash bar will also be on site.

For those who do not want to drink, there is #SIZZLE!, an alcohol free oasis dedicated to promoting and celebrating sober living. With the carnival games theme and alcohol-free bar, expect lots of fun, games and education.

LA Pride’s seasoned vets help Jeff Consoletti, the founder and principal of events production company, JJ|LA, has worked on Pride for 10 years. He pointed out that Pride is as much about history as it is about celebration.

“As a younger generation comes into Pride knowing a much more supportive and embracing LGBT experience than the previous decades, ensuring we are paying homage to leaders of yesteryear and the struggles the community has endured will be important,”

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This year, LA Pride Festival goers will have many more options with a free block party located along Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson Boulevards.

he emphasized.

When Consoletti first came into CSW, LA! Pride was struggling with corporate sponsorship engagement, lagging ticket sales and a lackluster entertainment program, he acknowledged.

“The event was often criticized by city and community leaders for not really showcasing the community positively. Realizing that LA is one of the top markets in the country and one of the most LGBT-friendly cities, especially within West Hollywood, I was determined to change that,” Consoletti stated.

“We revamped the guest experience to create a clean, accessible and inviting event with eye-catching design and decor that got guests excited,” the veteran events producer said. “We took a deep dive into the entertainment program, identifying supportive allies and out and proud artists that could help to drive ticket sales and publicity opportunities to the show. As audiences grew, so did corporate engagement. We looked to on board brands that wanted to showcase their support toward the LGBT community rather than billboarding, by encouraging immersive, guest-facing activations that got consumers excited.”

LA Pride’s success has been in the numbers, noted Consoletti.

“When we first took over the show, merely 20,000 guests attended the event over the weekend. Today, we have hit crowds upwards

of 75,000, with more guests simply coming to celebrate in West Hollywood and watch the parade. We’ve grown and sustained a corporate sponsorship program upwards of over $2MM annually,” he enthused.

LA Pride is an anchor event, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the city who spend millions of dollars. The economic impact of the event simply can’t be overstated.

The City of West Hollywood continues to refer to a 2015 study that indicates that LA Pride Parade and Festival was responsible for $5,106,900 in direct spending in West Hollywood.

But of course, it’s Pride all over Los Angeles and people come here from around the world to celebrate. This year, they are bound to get their money’s worth and so is LA.

Around town If you’re heading to Pride, of course you want to make sure you look amazing, especially if you are looking to meet someone new.

“Pride is a day to shine bright and this starts with your hair,” enthused Bleu 52 Salon’s gay owner, Rob Fuentes. “When you look good you will feel good! Always remember, hair is your number one accessory.”

So whether you want to style your drag wig, get a sexy, fresh barber cut, bleach and tone, check out the Weho salon. For any attendee,

show your ticket to Fuentes during Pride Week and he will take 20 percent off all services.

People love to bring their pets to Pride, but with the heat, loud noise and crowds, it’s not always the best idea, acknowledged Brian Watson, owner of Weho’s PoshPetCare.

“It’s much less stressful for Fido if he is in an air conditioned daycare facility where he can celebrate Pride with other dogs! So while you dance away your day, your dog can play and get pampered with our amazing hot oil spa treatment.”

There are lots of special events around town too, like the Sunday party with Paul Presents at Doheny Room West Hollywood, from 3-9 p.m. Also, EVITA Presents Pride Friday at sbe hotspot, Nightingale. The brainchild of legendary queer party promoters Oly Innes and Andres Rigal, EVITA is the destination to celebrate love, unity, and unique individuality with its diverse and inclusive lineups of local and global talent.

If you want a break from the festivities, head to Mondrian for a fantastic brunch. Or go hang out by the pool at Skybar; they’ve created a special Pride infusion cocktail, with vodka, lime juice, lemon juice, fresh strawberries, Rekorderlig, strawberry cider, cane sugar and Skittles.

At its Third Street location, D’Amore’s Pizza is doing buy one, get one on their delicious free slices for Pride’s Parade day.

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Meet 3 young Angelenos making a difference Working for social justice and a fully inclusive city

By JOHN PAUL KING

A big part of Pride is paying tribute to the leaders, our elders and those who came before, who have dedicated themselves to the struggle for LGBTQ, and rightly so. It’s important to acknowledge that we stand upon the shoulders of giants.

But it’s also important to take notice of the young people who are rising among the next generation to take up the fight. Here are three young Angelenos who are making a difference in the social landscape of LGBTQ L.A., and who are surely among the faces to watch as we continue our march into the future.

The eldest is Robert Harrell, 30, a global diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist who has served as the Head of Talent/Talent Consultant at WORLDZ, and of leads diversity and inclusion efforts for LGBT Communities of Color at the Kenneth Roberts Agency. In 2015, he founded the I Love Me Foundation, a national organization that provides resources to LGBT survivors of sexual and domestic trauma. He currently serves as its president and chairman, and serves on several boards including the National Association of Black Journalists - LA Chapter and Venice Pride.

“My intention is to always be a liaison for the LGBT communities of color in both my professional and philanthropic efforts,” he says. “To champion for the overlooked, undervalued, and the underserved. To act as a conduit for the voiceless and the forgotten in my community.”

Harrell advocates for what he says are the most pressing issues facing our LGBT communities of color — hate crimes, homelessness, and mental health. He is vocal in the outcry over justice for the surging number of murders perpetrated against gay and transgender people of color, and he works to raise awareness about the devastating statistics around homelessness and LGBT youth, who are also disproportionately impacted by incarceration, sexual abuse, sex work and hate crimes.

To address the mental health care needs of LGBT communities of color, he and a team have launched, the #YouGoodMan Initiative, a program through his foundation designed to promote “mental health focus, inner calm and a chance to soul search” for gay men of color.

In the fall of 2019, this program will officially launch to include an empowerment brunch, wellness weekend summit, and mental health workshops.

Also mobilized by social inequity is Jose Guevara, 25, an undocumented queer activist from California and a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient. Like so many other DACA recipients, his status is in limbo; with a husband who is a U.S. citizen, he’s part of a mixed-status family, as well, and he’s battled cancer four times. Yet he is currently finishing his commencement from CSULA and an internship through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in which he serves as an intern in the Office of the Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and actively works to further his LGBTQ and immigration advocacy.

“Being queer, undocumented, and a cancer patient, I bring all of me to any place I step into,” he says. “In my life, I have had so many ends, and I’ve learned that somehow, someway, you just wake up every morning and keep going. I’ve learned that when you’re fighting for immigrants, you can’t just fight for immigrants. You have to remember queer people are also immigrants, so you have to fight for queer people too. And Queer people also get cancer, so you have to fight for people with illnesses. You have to fight for everyone.”

He is also moved by the violence against the trans population. “It breaks my heart to see how they are being killed every day, and other than trans focus groups their killings go without notice. We have failed our trans siblings, they are under constant attacks not only by the administration but by our failure to show up and show out for them… we must do better to help protect them with all our might.”

The youngest is Michaè Pulido, 22, a queer,

trans, Latinx community connector, artist, and educator who works as the policy coordinator at the TransLatin@ Coalition, where she is working to change the landscape for transinclusive legislation, statewide and nationally.

Navigating this world post-gender, Michaé says she sees the direct impact of a corrupt social, economic, and political system that hurts those that choose to not live abiding by the norm.

She says, “My personal mission is to uplift and support the trans, gender nonconforming, intersex community, and those that aren’t given voices and positions of power in our society. Doing this work, and being with TransLatin@, and being trans myself, I’ve seen the really beautiful parts of our community, and the really horrible parts, that people aren’t talking about. Right now is a really difficult time, because Neo-liberalism is convincing a lot of people that trans people have reached equity and equality within our society because we’re seen more in politics, in the media, in other spaces. But realistically, in everyday life, trans people are being murdered because there’s a lack of education about who we are; our community experiences high rates of unemployment and homelessness, and a lack of resources in general. So for me, it’s about working to change laws that disenfranchise our community.”

We asked each of these extraordinary young people what they hoped for the future of LGBTQ L.A. Here’s what they said: Harrell: “What I wish most for the future of the LGBTQ communities of Los Angeles is for full equity and inclusion. West Hollywood has been long dubbed the LGBT capital of Los Angeles, yet most programs, clubs, special events, organizations, and resources are not inclusive of the Black, Latino, Armenian, Native American, and trans communities respectively. LGBT communities of color are priced out of affordable housing and special events, they’re not always included in statistical data that could lead to additional resources, and they’re not given same

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City Overflows with Pride, and Glitter.

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One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival and LA Pride in West Hollywood

City of West Hollywood California 1984

Robert Harrell

Jose Guevara

Michaè Pulido

Photo courtesy Harrell

Photo courtesy Guevara

Photo courtesy Pulido

considerations for job opportunities as their LGBT white counterparts.”

Guevara: “I wish to see an aware LGBT community that understands intersectionality, and can have an honest and uncomfortable discourse on how we are all connected by being a part of the LGTBQ community but also different – by color, immigration status, ableness – and an understanding of the privilege some of us have. Most importantly,

to use such privilege for change, to walk alongside folks who do not possess it, to create a better and more aware community that uplifts each other to create change.”

Pulido: “I hope for a world where our genders don’t matter, how we choose to identify doesn’t dictate our ability to be safe, and ultimately a world where we have access to things like housing and mental health resources, and we don’t have to turn

to drugs as a way to cope. I know, within my lifetime, we’re going to carve out spaces for our community in Los Angeles, we’re already doing it and we’re only going to keep expanding. And for me, as a young person, a lot of my work is informed by trans elders that have been doing it a lot longer than I have, and paved a legacy for the generation that came after them, like me. That’s what I hope to do.”

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#JustUnite at these LA Pride events This year marks the 50th anniversary of the riots that erupted after a NYPD raid of a small Mafia-owned ‘bottle club’ bar and dance floor thatcatered to gay, lesbian, and trans folks along with sex workers in New York City’s West Greenwich Village.

In those days it was illegal for LGBTQ people to congregate or associate in public, dance, display public affection, and of course sexual activity was considered a felony in nearly all jurisdictions across the United States including New York.

Although the actual spark which instigated the riots in front of the Stonewall Inn is lost in the mists of time forgotten, those riots significantly raised the visibility and propelled forward the nascent ‘gay rights’ movement, and again marked a turning point placing the movement at a major crossroads.

One year later, on June 28, 1970, gay, lesbian, and trans organizers along with their straight allies staged the Christopher Street Liberation Day and parade. Across the United States in Los Angeles, organizers formed the Christopher Street West Association to stage the West Coast’s rendition. These annual events eventually became known simply as ‘Pride.’

This year in celebration marking Stonewall and for the first time, LA Pride and the City of West Hollywood are teaming up to host the first-ever “Pride on the Boulevard,” a free block party of entertainment, vendors, exhibitors, non-profit organizations, rides and attractions, beer gardens, and more along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood (between Robertson and Hancock). This freeto-the-public event will take place on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 from 12–7 p.m.

Here are a selection of key LA Pride related events:

MAY 31

LGBT Night at the LA Dodgers is tonight from 5:30 PM to 11:30 PM at Dodger Stadium (1000 Elysian Park Avenue). This special event

package includes a ticket to the game plus an exclusive rainbow-themed duffle bag. Come as early as 5:30 PM to attend the LA Pride kickoff pre-game party at the Right Field Plaza Bar (until first pitch gets thrown at 7:10 PM) and be sure to stay until the bottom of the 9th to watch fireworks on the field – courtesy of Denny’s – accompanied by a special music mix created by the one and only DJ Bowie Jane.

JUNE 1

3rd Annual LA Pride Night at Universal Studios Hollywood is tonight from 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM at Universal Studios Hollywood (100 Universal Studios, Universal City, CA).

Now in its third year, LA Pride teams up with Universal Studios Hollywood to celebrate LA Pride Week 2019 with an open community invitation to the whole LGBTQIA family. It’s your chance to take over the whole park for one amazing night...PRIDE IS UNIVERSAL!

JUNE 2

2019 Trans Brunch is today from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Flaming Saddles (8811 Santa Monica Boulevard). LA Pride celebrates community and togetherness at the 2nd Annual Trans Brunch. Our trans family comes together for great food and drink to kick off LA Pride Week 2019. This is a very special invitation only event.

FEM(ME): Fueling the Female Force Within is today from 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM at Palihouse (8465 Holloway Drive). FEM(ME) is a celebration of the female force within each and every one of us, regardless of gender or how we identify. Everyone is welcome to join in this must-attend event, filled with special guests, live performances and DJ’s, a documentary screening, a comedy show, and so much more. Rosanna Arquette, Naomi Grossman, Joely Fisher, Robin Tran, Mona Shaikh, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Mortasay, Njomza, Tanya Brown, Jen Kober, Mikalah Gordon, Lisa Pittman, Courtney Allen, Lindsay

Coryne, Fisher & Thames, Madison Malone.

The Alexis Arquette Family Foundation joins with LA Pride in presenting the Women Who Lead Award..

West Hollywood Mayor’s Reception is today from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM at SoHo House (9200 Sunset Boulevard). Join Mayor John D’Amico and the entire city of West Hollywood government for a robust soiree in support and celebration of LA Pride. It’s a great chance to mix and mingle with city officials and the board of Christopher Street West and its many sponsors.

JUNE 5

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Garden Party is today from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Wattle’s Mansion (1824 N. Curson Avenue). Join Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and members of the City Council and for a festive event that welcomes the full diversity of our community and allies to a meet and greet with our Mayor.

It’s a lively event in the beautiful grounds and gardens at the foot of Runyon Canyon, replete with music, entertainment, great food and drinks.

JUNE 7

2019 LA Pride Opening Ceremony in West Hollywood is tonight from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM at West Hollywood Park (San Vicente Blvd.). Want to get LA Pride Weekend in West Hollywood started early? Then head on over to West Hollywood Park for a FREE night of entertainment, programming, and festivities presented by our proud partners at Johnson & Johnson before the LA Pride Festival opens its doors the next day. Paula Abdul will kick it off just right. And it’s all free of charge.

Dyke March is tonight from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Sal Guarriello Veterans Memorial (8447 Santa Monica Blvd). A City event featuring speakers, entertainment and a march/rally which marks the start of LA Pride weekend.

Pop-ups include a protest sign-making

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June 1 - 30

SMpride.com

A month-long series of events in Santa Monica to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, individuality, empowerment, inclusivity and acceptance.

LA Pride Parade 2018 Photo by Chris Tuite

workshop by JP (all supplies included) and the One City One Pride interactive poetry pop-up Everyone Deserves (A) Love (Poem). You are welcome to bring your motorcycle at kickstart Pride. It’s free event.

JUNE 8 - 9

2019 Pride on the Boulevard in West Hollywood is all weekend and all over West Hollywood. Throughout LA Pride Weekend 2019 (presented by Verizon), there will be exhibitors, local artist performances, DJ’s, beer gardens, rides and attractions, a health and wellness fair, and so much more dotted along Santa Monica Boulevard (between Robertson and Hancock) in the fabulous City of West Hollywood.

2019 LA Pride Festival in West Hollywood

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is today from 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM at West Hollywood Park). Enjoy got a diverse group of LGBTQ+ and allied performers taking the stage at the 2019 LA Pride Festival in West Hollywood, presented by Verizon. GRAMMY® Award-winning global superstar Meghan Trainor and British electronic pop trio Years & Years will headline this year’s festival on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 — joined by GRAMMY® Award winner Ashanti, plusAmara La Negra, Dej Loaf, Greyson Chance, MNEK, Pabllo Vittar, Ah-Mer-Ah-Su, and more! See John Paul King’s overview of the entertainment on page xxx.

JUNE 9

2019 LA Pride Parade is today from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM along Santa Monica Boulevard

from Fairfax to Doheny in West Hollywood.

The annual LA Pride Parade #JUSTUNITE at one of the largest outdoor events in Los Angeles and one of the greatest Pride celebrations in the world. Join hundreds of contingents and hundreds of thousands of spectators in celebration of our right to love and live. Be sure to arrive early to get a great spot along the parade route, but you might just decide to catch it on the telly. For the first time ever ABC7 Los Angeles is proud to become the broadcast partner for the L.A. Pride Parade, bringing the annual event in West Hollywood to television and the world.

Phill Wilson will be the community grand marshal, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center will be the organizational grand marshal.

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THE

LO S A NG EL ES DO D G E RS WIS H THE LGBT CO M M UN I T Y

H AP P Y P R ID E !

We embrace the LGBT Community of Los Angeles as an integral part of the Dodgers Community and are proud to host the official 2019 LA PRIDE kickoff party tonight at Dodger Stadium!

Enjoy your Pride Week and make plans to come to a game soon! dodgers.com/tickets

Meghan Trainor, Years & Years top list of LA Pride performers Paula Abdul continues her comeback with appearance

By JOHN PAUL KING

One of the great joys of Pride is the ongoing schedule of fabulous performing artists turning it up for the celebrating crowds throughout the weekend. This year will continue in that long tradition, with a diverse group of LGBTQ+ and allied musicians, dancers and DJs providing a variety of great entertainment to suit any taste.

The festival headliners, as announced in March, are Grammy Award-winning global superstar Meghan Trainor and British electronic pop trio Years & Years. Both concerts will be held at the Park Stage, June 8 and 9, respectively.

Singer, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist Trainor first made history in 2014 with her diamond-certified smash single “All About That Bass,” which became one of the best-selling singles of all time. Her 2015 first album “Title” debuted at number one in six countries, and was followed in 2016 by “Thank You,” which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Influenced by music from the ‘50s and ‘60s, her retro-infused songs are known for their lyrics that express a contemporary female perspective, focusing on issues like body image and empowerment.

In 2018, through a love letter published in Billboard, Trainor said, “To the entire LGBTQ+ community, I love you with all of my heart, I appreciate you endlessly, and I support you with all that I have and believe in. I am there for you as you have been for me.”

British synth-pop band Years & Years hails from London, where they were founded in 2010 and went through some reconfiguration before making a splash with several singles culminating in their first album, “Communion,” which debuted at number one on the U.K. chart in 2015. There have been two other albums since then, and a devoted legion of fans are now dedicated to the band and members Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen. Lead vocalist Alexander has simultaneously emerged as a culturally important new voice and a once-in-ageneration frontman. His brave, unwavering

and inspiring open-mindedness has helped a generation start important discussions around mental health and LGBTQ+ issues.

Years & Years push boundaries by challenging notions of identity and sexuality in a way that is new to pop music, and totally their own.

Besides the two headlining acts, the legendary Paula Abdul will be highlighting Pride’s official “Opening Ceremony,” which takes place Friday night June 7, from 8-11 p.m.

For anyone who wants to get Pride Weekend started early, this free kick-off celebration at West Hollywood Park will feature a nonstop line-up of entertainment including a special 60-minute concert by the one and only Abdul. The former Laker Girl rose to fame choreographing music videos for Janet Jackson before her 1988 debut studio album “Forever Your Girl” yielded a slew of hit singles (including the now-iconic “Opposites Attract,” which earned her the Grammy for Best Music Video) and became one of the most successful album debuts up to that time. She has gone on to a spectacular career choreographing for videos, films and television, with two Emmy awards and an MTV Video Music Award to go along with her Grammy, and gained a whole new generation of fans from her work as a judge on reality competition shows like “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” Her high-energy performance is a perfect way to get your Pride experience started off right.

The rest of the weekend offers plenty of other opportunities to get your groove on. On Saturday, the Park Stage will host a variety of acts. Among them are: Cupcakke, the Chicago rapper who uses her songs as a platform to advocate for LGBTQ rights and encourage female empowerment.

New York Indie pop band The Drums, whose reverb-heavy surf rock sound has powered them through a succession of increasingly popular albums, including “Brutalism,” their fifth and most recent.

Ah-Mer-Ah-Su, the Oakland-based transfeminine musical artist who celebrates

the experience of black trans lives while critiquing “the white gaze of Blackness at the intersection of trans womanhood,” in the words of queer news outlet them.us.

Shaun Ross, widely known as the first male African-American model with albinism, whose training with the Alvin Ailey School led to a career in the fashion industry modeling for the likes of Alexander McQueen and Givenchy, and who has danced in music videos for Katy Perry, Beyoncé, and Lana Del Rey, among many others.

Saturday on the Plaza Stage also includes a varied slate of talent, including: Christian Castro, the Mexican pop singer who has won accolades and awards while gathering an international army of fans.

Grammy nominee Asiahn, the Charlestonraised and Los Angeles-based songstress who brings an empowered female perspective, positive mindset, and a whole lot of raw attitude to simmering throwback R&B tracks with soul to spare.

Brazilian drag queen and singer-songwriter Pabllo Vittar, whose viral videos have led to two albums (so far) full of music described by the New York Times as “unofficial anthems for Brazil’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.”

Among the performers Sunday at the Park Stage are: Greyson Chance, the American singer, songwriter, and pianist whose April 2010 performance of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” at a sixth-grade music festival went viral on YouTube, who has since gone on to success as an adult music artist with two albums to date.

British singer and Grammy-winning songwriter MNEK, who’s worked with musicians ranging from Becky Hill and A*M*E to Christina Aguilera and Madonna in addition to performing his own compositions.

Sunday’s offerings at the Plaza Stage include: Grammy-winner Ashanti, who in addition to her multi-platinum recording career maintains an active schedule as an advocate

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and philanthropist around such issues as family violence, anti-LGBTQ bullying and discrimination, and cancer research.

RuPaul’s Drag Race veteran and fan favorite Miss Vanjie, who went from first-episode elimination in her first appearance on the show to international name recognition and a burgeoning singing and dancing career.

Sir Babygirl, a pop singer and performer who wrote and recorded her debut album, “Crush On Me” over the course of three years in her bedroom studio; she identifies as nonbinary and bisexual and makes music that she hopes will speak to the queer experience.

This is only a partial listing of performers.

There are additional acts scheduled for the Park and Plaza Stages throughout the weekend, as well as continual entertainment slated for the Pride on the Boulevard Stage, with last-minute additions still being announced. Be sure and visit the LA Pride website to find a complete listing of all the artists who will gather in the spirit of the festival’s 2019 theme – #JustUnite.

Meghan Trainor, Paula Abdul and Years & Years are slated for Pride performances.

3 8 • A M E R I C A’ S LG B TQ N E W S S O U R C E • LO S A N G E L E S B L A D E . C O M • M AY 3 1 2 0 1 9

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& Lance Bass would like to invite you to our first annual LA Pride.

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