lgbtq community


by scott leonard


Christopher Street West Association (CSW) Meet and greet . . . and eat! Ahead of California’s plan to fully reopen the state in mid-June, the Los


Angeles LGBT Center will host its social-distanced inaugural Pride Picnic on Sunday, June 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hollywood Forever. Guests can enjoy the great outdoors in specially-marked picnic spaces — for a maximum of six people — sprawled across the famed cemetery’s Fairbanks Lawn, featuring live music from DJ Asha, drag performances from Amber Crane, Greasy Bouffanti and Laurel Banall, and some of Los Angeles’ most popular food vendors. “After more than a year of staying apart from our loved ones and practicing the healthy guidelines of mask-wearing and hand-sanitizing, it will be a wonderful change of scenery to get together outdoors again in person,” said Tui Lyon, the Center’s director of special events. “Pack your picnic basket, blankets and lawn chairs, and let’s celebrate Pride month — and the beginning of a reopened California — as a strong and resilient queer community!” lalgbtcenter.org/picnic


will present three main Pride events in June. Charli XCX will kick off LA Pride 2021 on Thursday, June 10 with a free Thrive with Pride concert, live streamed exclusively on TikTok from a fabulous LA location. Rounding out the show, up and coming LGBTQ artists from across genres will be making their LA Pride concert debuts. LA Pride’s broadcast partner ABC7/KABC-TV


Los Angeles will air a one-hour primetime special, Thrive with Pride Celebration, on Saturday, June 12 at 9 p.m. Hosts Ellen Leyva and Brandi Hitt will be joined by Karl Schmid and Eric Resendiz as they present the best of LA Pride’s LGBTQ Los Angeles community. CSW will partner with Big Sunday for the


entire month of June to create Pride Makes a Difference, a 30-day calendar of events focused on volunteering, community service and opportunities to donate time, goods and money to worthy causes that benefit the LGBTQ community and Los Angeles nonprofits. Thrive with Pride was chosen for this


With the rise in violence against our transgender siblings and Black, Indigenous and People of


Color (BIPOC) communities, uniting against hate has never been more urgent. Together, Pride by the Beach and the North County LGBTQ Resource Center dedicate Pride Month 2021 as a time for us to speak out against all stereotypes, biases, microaggressions and xenophobia, and to take action to end the violence and hate unleashed by white supremacy. Join the Equity Torch Relay to help create a sense of awareness and allyship for the lesbian, gay,


bisexual, transgender and intersex community, who embody our region’s rich history of courage, spirit, achievement and activism. The Equity Torch will be carried by social justice supporters and neighbors across the North San Diego County cities of Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Escondido, Vista and San Marcos. Interested parties can learn more about becoming a torchbearer and sign up to carry the torch in your city, either virtually or in person. The Equity Torch Relay will be featured in the 14th annual Pride by the Beach virtual celebration


on Saturday, June 12 beginning at 2 p.m. Hosted by Amber St. James, Pride by the Beach is a family-friendly event that offers everyone the opportunity to learn about, celebrate and support the LGBTQ community in North San Diego County. pridebythebeach.org


8 ragemonthly.com | JUNE 2021


year’s theme, not just to highlight health and wellness as we slowly emerge from the pandemic, but more notably, to underscore the belief that thriving is an act of social justice within the LGBTQ community, especially for our underserved or overlooked members. When we live with a sense of belonging, confidence, security and self-worth, we’re not just surviving, we’re thriving! “To thrive means to flourish and progress


despite the circumstances. Pride this year is a moment for you to stop and breathe,” said Sharon-Franklin Brown, CSW board president. “It’s a moment to remember you’re not just surviving one of the hardest years in recent memory, but growing into your truth. If we as a community can come together, even for a moment, to realize we’ve broken down some barriers put on us, it’ll strengthen our resolve to continue tearing more down for those to come after us.” lapride.org


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