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Tens Of Thousands Take To West Hollywood Streets For Pride Resistance March
Photo courtesy of L.A. Pride
In lieu of the annual Pride Parade, L.A. Pride organized a march for LBGTQ+ equality, bringing out tens of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets of Hollywood and West Hollywood. The annual Parade usually brings out a quarter to half a million people for its annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, but the current political climate led L.A. Pride and Christopher Street West (the non-profit responsible for organizing the yearly parade) to organize a resistance march instead. The march started at Hollywood and Highland and will end in West Hollywood with a rally featuring speakers like Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Maxine Waters.
The #ResistMarch comes a year after CSW attempted to rebrand the Pride Festival as a music festival, according to the L.A. Times. The organization was met with local resistance after trying to implement higher ticket fees, fewer transgender-related events, and an emphasis on catering to millennials, according to WEHOville. This year's march recalls the first ever LGBTQ+ pride in 1970, and aims to emulate the impact of this year's Women's March.
Brian Pendleton, the march organizer, told the L.A. Times that "the LGBTQ community is lending our iconic rainbow flag to anyone who feels like their rights are under threat and to anyone who feels like America’s strength is its diversity."
The march features the exuberance of the annual Pride Parade along with political signs and messages, all preaching inclusivity and a resistance to President Trump's policies. Here are some of the best scenes of the march so far:
Johanna Wallace dances under Transgender flag for #ResistMarch along Hollywood Blvd. in #Hollywood. #LAPride pic.twitter.com/SOehkeRdom
— Genaro Molina (@GenaroMolina47) June 11, 2017
Sponsored message
#ResistMarch around #hollywood Blvd!! #LAPride pic.twitter.com/xRJ8vkRkCE
— Dr. Tadios Belay (@Dr_Tadios) June 11, 2017
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