Pride celebrated in LA
Members of Bienestar, a latino health organization, call for an end to the Pentagon's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy at the LA Pride Parade. (Dan Bluemel / LA Activist)
Santa Monica Boulevard became a river of vibrant colors Sunday as the LGBT community participated in the Los Angeles Pride Parade.
Celebrators and activists alike joined in the 40th anniversary of the parade by showcasing floats, dancing and singing.
Members of the NoH8 Campaign, a marriage equality organization, joined the LA Pride Parade calling for the repeal of Prop 8. (Dan Bluemel / LA Activist)
Some parade attendees noticed that this year’s parade had a much better mood than the last. “Last year was heavier for people because of Prop. 8,” said Aaron Blackburn, referring to the passing of Proposition 8 where Californians denied homosexual citizens the right to marry.
“This year was brighter, more enthusiastic and joyous,” he said. “I definitely feel there is a strong sense of community and unity. That’s good to see.”
Perhaps as a backlash to Prop 8, there appeared to be more religious groups and politicos present in the parade.
A member of AMBI, a bisexual social networking club, shows her bi pride. (Dan Bluemel / LA Activist)
“I thought there were more religious groups this year – which was good,” said Chanelle Johnson. She watched the parade with friends and was happy to see various assembly members and state senators participate as well.
The Los Angeles Pride Parade was established in 1970 in response to the New York Stonewall riots, when the LGBT community reacted to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn. Since then, the LA parade has been a staple in the city.
Lisa Hontly has been coming to the Pride Parade since 1987. Her and her partner commented on a disproportionate number of men to women. “They could use some more women,” she said. “It was only 5 percent women, but we support everyone here.”
Hontly theorized that the lesbian community wasn’t as organized as others causing a lower turnout. Another parade attendee, Yisella Mariscal, also noticed the strong male turnout, but had a different spin on the low female presence.
“The guys are so much more flamboyant,” she said. “The girls are much more reserved. The men seem more comfortable.”
Mariscal had once volunteered for Families In Focus, a organization that helps LGBT pre-teens. According to Mariscal, the organization conducted a pre-teen pride in Long Beach.
“They are trying to get people more comfortable in coming out,” she said.
A choreographed Gay Men's Choir of LA sing while in the LA Pride Parade. (Dan Bluemel / LA Activist)
San Diego resident Stephen Geiss was pleased with LA’s parade. “I learned a lot about the organizations that are out there for the community,” he said. “The San Diego Pride Parade is so much more commercialized. I liked the non-profit aspect of this parade. That’s the way it should be.”
Geiss is currently working on starting his own non-profit geared toward assisting homeless youth stay away from drugs and crime. “We want to try and catch them before they end up in jail, as well as when they get out,” he said, commenting that California has a 70 percent recidivism rate.
Lisa Schirmer attended the Pride Parade for the first time today. She found the parade to be fun, having a good balance between celebration and activism.
“Everyone deserves happiness and that doesn’t have anything to do with sexual preference,” she said. “It is a god-given right.”
