A former co-president of Christopher Street West (CSW), the organizer of the annual L.A. Pride, last night called for the resignation of the CSW board of directors, which has been the object of criticism over mismanagement of this year’s event.
“Forty-five years of building community — in less than a year this current board destroyed it — disgraceful,” said Patti DiLuigi, referring to history of the event, which began in 1970. “It needs to move into L.A. It’s L.A. Pride, not West Hollywood Pride … This current board needs to resign.”
DiLuigi, who was one of several people who demanded the board resign, made her remarks at a community meeting organized by West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister and City Councilmember John D’Amico to solicit recommendations for improving L.A. Pride. The meeting drew approximately 60 people, with most speakers critical of CSW’s decision to rebrand the annual Pride festival as a music festival aimed at young people, increase its admission price and reduce its lesbian and transgender programming. Several people who live near West Hollywood Park, where the festival takes place, also said they were upset by the loud music.
The L.A. Pride parade and festival moved to West Hollywood in 1979 from Hollywood, where it first took place. Over the years the event has become an important asset for WeHo, reinforcing the city’s image as a center of LGBT life and culture and generating an estimated $5 million a year in business for local bar and restaurant owners and merchants. Earlier this month a new non-profit staged the first-ever Pride event in downtown Los Angeles, which some see as a potential competitor.
But the event also is costly for the City of West Hollywood. Mayor Meister noted last night that the city spends about $500,000 on public safety for the event. A financial statement made available to WEHOville shows that CSW itself lost $396,000 on this year’s L.A. Pride.
DiLuigi called for former CSW president Rodney Scott to assume that position again, replacing Chris Classen,. Scott, who headed CSW for 12 years, stepped down in 2013 in the face of criticism by West Hollywood City Council members and residents for his management of the annual Pride event. He was replaced by DiLuigi and her co-president, Steve Ganzell, who oversaw the 2014 and 2015 Pride events. A major shift in the organization then occurred with Craig Bowers and Chris Classen, partners in an events business, joining the board and adding friends of theirs. Bowers and Classen then changed the festival’s focus to make it a music festival, which drew objections from some board members who said that major move wasn’t brought before them before it was initiated.
Meister said the city will take what it has heard from last night’s meeting and another on July 20 and the results of an online survey and work with CSW to develop a report to the City Council with recommendations about the event going forward. Major structural changes are likely because of the redevelopment of West Hollywood Park, which will close large areas of the park to the public next June.
West Hollywood’s gay identity is definitely not just about bars. 60% of our City Council are homosexual. The City has passed legislation supporting LGBT rights, and allowed for domestic partnership registrations early on. We have a transgender advisory board as well as a gay and lesbian advisory board. Our city council supports worldwide efforts to end oppression of LGBT people through political actions. I also believe the city has supported programs and passed legislation that assists people living with HIV. I’m sure there are many other things our city government has done for the community I’m not even aware of.… Read more »
WeHo is still the “center” of the gay community, there is no denying that. But the time has come to get out of the center and have more of a representation citywide. It’s just a matter of time before this happens, if you don’t want to wade into other waters yet within Los Angeles. The writing is on the wall, the gay bar concept is going to eventually go by the wayside, this is what progress and inclusion will do. You want to delay the inevitable, fine, then stop complaining and just accept whatever WeHo keeps offering up. It would… Read more »
Randy’s comment has stimulated my response as he refers to West Hollywood as the center of Gay community in Los Angeles. What makes our city the “center”? If there weren’t any “gay bars” would we still be considered that? The only Lesbian Bar in WeHo is gone. So is WeHo still the “center”? While our city council continues to adhere to the Equality goals of the LGBT community, I’m not sure. Being Alive, some services of the LGBT Center and some other good organizations are located here. What if the Bars/Clubs were gone? What if The Abbey, an ever changing… Read more »
Zam, I agree. I can’t believe how many people are calling for it to move out of West Hollywood. How does that fix anything, when CSW is the problem? West Hollywood is the center of the gay community in Los Angeles. We are becoming more gentrified, and maybe “less gay” each year, but we are still the center of the gay community, and I can’t imagine this festival being anywhere else. It is also important to note that a lot of people travel here for the festival, just as I have to other cities (SF, SD, etc.). For those people,… Read more »
ZAM. I agree. Pride Parade/Festival attracts many families as well as singles both hetero and homosexuals. It emphasizes the EQUALITY viewpoints of our residents and City Council members. But it does need to be re-evaluated as to mission and methods. It is a celebration of the fight for freedoms our “community” has achieved, acknowledgement of those who protested/fought to gain recognition of LGBT equality and underlined the need for continued efforts to achieve equality in the workplace, community and the minds of all Americans. It is an effort, like women’s equality and racial equality that needs to maintain visibility and… Read more »
CSW has been a mess for years. As the article says, they’ve made several attempts to turn things around. The last 2 years were actually fairly good. This year’s effort completely backfired in every way. In my opinion, they always fail to address the main issues of accountability and transparency. Pride isn’t just a big party, it’s something much more. Whether CSW stays, goes, gets its act together, or collapses; whatever organization runs Pride needs to do a far better job. RE Those who want to move LA Pride out of WeHo: I think it’s insane. West Hollywood IS still… Read more »
I would not want to see Rodney Scott back in this, that suggestion was ridiculous. As someone else has said, under Scott’s direction things just went from bad to worse. It’s clearly time to take a chance and move Pride to another part of the L.A. area. Get the gay community to venture out of WeHo for it, spotlight not only local but nationwide attention on a Pride celebration outside of a gay enclave. Progress means gays have more representation everywhere and not in select pockets geographically. So lets take over another part of the city for this particular weekend… Read more »
@Don Azars, with the City donating $500K in waived fees and public safety each year, they very much, can and should demand changes. So, yes, they can say they “won’t support CSW,” but in the process, CSW wouldn’t be able to afford to hold the event on its own (at least, in West Hollywood). West Hollywood generously hosts this event. Yes, it is good for the local economy, but other things need to be considered, like how it affects quality of life for local residents, and if the event truly reflects the type of event local residents want. I think… Read more »
@Don Azars…..But the Council has NEVER said anything other than they WILL support the entrenched CSW.
The Council has not opened the door for any other possibilities.
If we need to “START OVER” and, as you say, “perhaps that means with new people, objective eyes/ears and methods”…….Shouldn’t that mean the Council must consider others.
Isn’t that why we have term limits???
I’m not sure the City or anyone other then public can “demand” or require CSW to do anything or not do anything. The City CAN say they won’t support CSW in the future. I’m not sure there are any financial matters involved otherwise.
Again at this meeting, the Mayor felt that it was necessary to have a “facilitator” running the meeting and doing a powerpoint presentation asking the audience questions whose answers anyone of us could have predicted. This was a big 45 minutes waste of time. But the most important question that the “research facilitator” missed (or was told not to ask) was this: “How many people want MORE, LESS or NO CSW?” The results of that question would not have suited the City Council because they seem to be the only ones who hold the secret as to why CSW is… Read more »
We keep talking about the “fees” and I understand. But the problem is the purpose of the Parade/Festival. We need to START OVER and perhaps that means with new people, objective eyes/ears and methods.