LA Pride has announced the dates for its 2021 Pride festivities at the same time that it’s board president, Sharon-Franklin Brown, is being honored by being included on Out magazine’s Out100 list.
LA Pride will be held on the second weekend in June – June 11-13, 2021 – the same weekend on which it has traditionally been held. No word yet about a location for the event, although Christopher Street West (CSW), the nonprofit which puts on LA Pride, has previously announced it will not host pride events in West Hollywood anymore.
Brown, who was named CSW board president in September, was included in the Out100 because of the historic nature of her taking that post. She is the first black transgender woman to head the 50-year-old CSW.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized for doing the day-to-day work alongside others in the LGBTQ+ movement in the continuing struggle for equality and justice,” Brown said in a statement. “Making the Out100 list is humbling and it brings visibility to our trans and underserved communities of color. If I can be that ray of hope or inspiration to someone at their point of need, I will gladly do so because I stand on the shoulders of those that came before me.”
Brown not only heads up the organization which produces one of the largest prides in the world, she also oversees 800 employees in her job as head of HR at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
She notes that the nation’s attitudes about inclusion are shifting and she is happy to be a very visible part of that change. She points out the LGBTQ community has fought many obstacles to get to the place where it is today because the community is resilient.
“We are all trying to find creative ways to deal with the coronavirus pandemic as well as the attacks on LGBTQ+ civil liberties under the Trump administration. We will prevail,” she told OUT.
Brown joins a long list of notables on this year’s Out100 list, including actor Wilson Cruz and singer/actress Janelle Monáe.
Others on the Out100 list include Apple CEO Tim Cook, journalist Rachel Maddow, director Paris Barclay, California state senator Scott Wiener and psychologist/author Mary Trump.
Now in its 26th year, the Out100 list honors the year’s most impactful and influential LGBTQ people. The print edition of the magazine will be on the stands in early December.
First I don’t see anyway the city of Los Angeles will be allowing large gathering that early in the year. Second, let’s see if they can pull it off without the support of the city of West Hollywood. I doubt Los Angeles is going to be willing to chip in the money that Weho did. Third I am not going to the pride. I will go the Weho pride when it returns.
I wanted to make a correction to your story as LA Pride hasn’t been traditionally held the second weekend in June as for over two decades it was held on the third weekend in June and the Sunday in that third weekend always fell on Father’s Day. LA Pride only moved it back a week earlier to the second weekend in June about 10 years ago.
Congrats to Sharon-Franklin Brown on her inclusion in the 2020 Out100 and for all she has achieved thus far!
I am personally doubtful that there will be a physical 2021 L.A. Pride, but perhaps CSW is laying the groundwork for a virtual one.
I do hope CSW and West Hollywood see the wisdom in attempting to bridge their differences and keep CSW Pride in WeHo, versus having dueling festivals.
No, it’s time for CSW to move on and elsewhere. They never seemed to get their act together.