L.A. PRIDE to showcase LGBTQ culture

Los Angeles’ LGBTQ community plans to celebrate its colorful history with the L.A. PRIDE Music Festival & Parade this weekend in West Hollywood.

Christopher Street West, an L.A.-based nonprofit organization, has made efforts to ensure that the event will foster a strong sense of community among the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth through music and the arts.

The three-day festival boasts an impressive lineup of music artists across the industry. This year Carly Rae Jepsen, Krewella and Charli XCX will be performing as the main headline artists. However, the lineup of artists bears a special significance to CSW President Chris Classen.

“This is the first year we’ve had such a diverse lineup,” he said. “That may not seem revolutionary, but when you think about a gay event, we don’t often have R&B or hip-hop performers who are straight males performing, and I think that we have reached a level of acceptance and inclusion. We now have a lot of allies in the industry who are excited to perform for us.”

Among other attractions, L.A. PRIDE will also feature a wide array of programs, such as the art exhibit “Cruising,” which was curated by Nathaly Charria. “Cruising” will showcase the works of many popular LGBTQ artists.

Throughout the weekend, interactive art installations will be presented on festival grounds at West Hollywood Park. Such include a recreation of legendary 20th-century artist Tom of Finland’s home in Los Angeles. Local artist Van Jazmin will challenge the issue of gender roles and transgender identity through his sculptures. The works presented at this year’s festival aim to embrace the history and culture of L.A.’s LGBTQ community.

“The pieces refer to the history of our community, our ability to come together and our struggles as LGBT people,” Classen said. “A lot of the art pieces reflect the history of Los Angeles and the community in general, and the ways in which we’ve co-opted other cultures and made them our own.”

The grand marshal for this year’s festival is Jewel-Thais Williams, former owner of one of the most iconic black gay discos in the world. She has been a staple of the LGBTQ community for four decades, advocating for a wide range of issues concerning gay minorities and those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Amidst the busy schedule of events is the 46th annual PRIDE Parade. The course will run through West Hollywood’s most vibrant street, Santa Monica Boulevard, from Crescent Heights Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard.

This year’s celebration, however, has riled up many members of Los Angeles’ LGBTQ community. Critics have accused CSW of altering a historic, commemorative event to market more toward millennials.

“When you just single out ‘music festival,’ I think people’s initial reaction was that this is no longer an LGBT event,” Classen said. “However, the event has never been more queer.”

Although the festival has received a large amount of backlash, Classen reassures that L.A. PRIDE this year will still remain an important cultural tradition of the gay community. He also said that it will be the “most inclusive event in the world.”

“When people come through the festival gates, what they can gain is a sense of inclusiveness and acceptance. Even though the LGBT community has come a long way in the past 10 years in terms of legislation and acceptance. It’s still not easy for people in Los Angeles, even, to be who they are. This is the one time a year when people all over the city can come together as one family and be who they want to be.”

The 46th annual L.A. PRIDE Music Festival & Parade will take place Friday to Sunday.