Los Angeles
Pride will happen in 2020 after all – but as a Black Lives Matter solidarity
march.
LA Pride bosses cancelled this year’s event from 12 to
14 June, when the coronavirus pandemic struck in March. It was due to be a
historic celebration – marking 50 years of Pride in the city.
But now
Christopher Street West, the organization that produces LA Pride, announced it
will hold a peaceful protest march against racial injustice on Sunday 14 June.
Estevan
Montemayor, the organization’s president, said:
‘In 1970, we
gathered on Hollywood Boulevard to protest police brutality and oppression to
our community.
‘We will do
that again this year where it began, in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.’
The march will
start at 10am on 14 June at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland
boulevards.
Protestors
will then process to West Hollywood, where the parade normally takes place,
ending at Santa Monica and San Vicente boulevards.
Honoring the
legacy of Stonewall
The US has
already seen nine days of protest following the death of George Floyd in police
custody.
But for the
Christopher Street West Board what is happening is a reminder of their own
history.
The first LA
Pride was a protest against police violence and oppression.
Moreover, it
marked a year since the Stonewall riots. At the time black members of the LGBT+
community were on the front line, most famously including Marsha P Johnson.
The board
unanimously decided they needed to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives
Matter protests across the US.
Montemayor
added: ‘It is our moral imperative to honor the legacy of Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who bravely led the
Stonewall uprising, by standing in solidarity with the black community against
systemic racism and joining the fight for meaningful and long-lasting reform.’
Organizers are
urging those who attend the protest to wear face masks and to bring hand
sanitizer or wear gloves to help protect them from COVID-19.
Indeed, they
accept it would be safer not to hold the protest. However, Montemayor said it
was ‘absolutely necessary’ to ‘leave our homes and speak loudly and clearly’
about the injustices people of color face.
So far, at
least 450 Prides around the world have cancelled or
postponed their 2020 events due to coronavirus.
What a great idea. I am sure other cities will be following suit. Wear a mask and social distance... it's a wide road. And if anybody can keep it peaceful, it's our community. Thanks for sharing this. I learn more stuff from you.
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