Resist March Founder Brian Pendleton Has Left L.A. Pride Board of Directors

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Brian Pendleton, the organizer of June’s Resist March, has resigned from the board of directors of Christopher Street West, the non-profit organization whose annual L.A. Pride parade was supplanted by the protest march this year.

Chris Classen, who heads CSW, confirmed that Pendleton had resigned shortly after the June 11 march. As of publication, WEHOville has been unable to reach Pendleton for a comment.

cause force, #resist
Brian Pendleton

The march was controversial in some quarters, with business owners in WeHo’s Boystown area concerned that it would reduce sales on what traditionally has been one of their busiest days of the year. Others objected to not staging a Pride parade, which has been a tradition since 1970 (with the exception of a cancellation of the event in 1973).

The march attracted between 25,000 and 35,000 participants, according to numbers provided by law enforcement agencies. It also attracted major political figures such as U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader; U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, whose district includes West Hollywood; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, and West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman.

While organizers and some supporters of the march were reluctant to promote it as a protest of Donald Trump, its participants — a mix of LGBT people, women’s rights advocates, immigrants and their supporters — clearly saw it that way given their signs and chants.

Classen said CSW will solicit nominations for board positions in September and will choose new board members in October.

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CSW’s board of directors has undergone major changes, with four of the 15 members resigning in January and one the month before. Those resigning complained about a requirement that they sign what they called “gag orders” (non-disclosure agreements) and said CSW was not supportive of the transgender community, was not transparent in its activities and finances and that they were not respected or listened to.

Pendleton, who had declined to sign the non-disclosure agreement, was expected to have helped the non-profit CSW raise money to keep it going. That was a special concern because of the cancellation of the parade, whose corporate sponsors such as Budweiser, Wells Fargo and Delta Airlines, make it a major revenue generator for the financially strapped organization. Last year’s Pride event was in the red by $365,000.

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Jim Nasium
Jim Nasium
7 years ago

How about a little shorter comment next time JS.

Jonathan Simmons
Jonathan Simmons
7 years ago

That decision was one of the worst loss of pro-gay and all/any differences in people CELEBRATION …That loss of POSITIVE, HAPPY & WELCOMING TO AND ALL PR is incalculable. Beyond the loss of opportunity for first timers, questing, and gay people forced to live a lonely isolated life (for so many reasons: religious family, lack of any gay bars/clubs/coffee houses where ever anyone living poor in the boondocks in CA and reaching across the Country) which The Same Boring lable so many locals complain about is selifily short sighted. IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE SAME GENERAL FORMAT SAME TIME, SAME… Read more »

Tres Amusante
Tres Amusante
7 years ago

Since when is Heilman a “major political figure”? Made me laugh. This is one of the ways WeHoville impairs it’s credibility with it’s silly Heilman propaganda. Maybe it could consider changing it’s name to WeHeilmanville

Gary Wallen
Gary Wallen
7 years ago

Slight edit needed at end of next to last paragraph!

Staff Report
7 years ago
Reply to  Gary Wallen

Thanks! Fixed it. I love my community copy editors.

Manny
Manny
7 years ago

@Creative One…..you’re a very creative one

Creative One
Creative One
7 years ago

If not a new organization, can they at least change the name of the current one? Los Angeles and West Hollywood have a rich gay history without having to associate with a NYC based term (Christopher Street West). Come on! Or, maybe we should insist on NYC’s organization being called Santa Monica Blvd East?

A name change, with some new oversight will go a long way.

Todd Bianco
7 years ago

Can’t wait to find out what a financial disaster 2017 was for CSW. Maybe the end is near and 2018 will be produced by a completely new organization.