Nearly two months after the COVID-19 crisis forced organizers of Los Angeles’ LGBTQ Pride festival to go digital-only, plans for a reimagined in-person event are back on.
Christopher Street West, which produces L.A. Pride, announced Wednesday that the group would stage a “solidarity protest march,” much like the demonstrations against racial inequality and police brutality taking place now nationwide.
Intended as a “response to racial injustice, systemic racism and all forms of oppression,” the event will be held June 14, the date previously reserved for the traditional Pride parade.
As concerns about the spread of the coronavirus grew, Pride organizers in New York, San Francisco and other cities nationwide canceled all parades and in-person festivities.
Still, many LGBTQ rights advocates said they have used their time in quarantine to reassess how they plan to acknowledge Pride ― criticized in recent years for becoming too commercialized and corporation-driven ― moving forward.
