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After two years of hiatus because of the pandemic, the LA Pride Parade will return this year.
The June 12 festivities will take on extra significance, considering it is the parade's delayed 50th anniversary — the first was in 1970 — and instead of the usual route in West Hollywood, the celebration is moving to Hollywood, where it all began.
"We have part of the commemoration to include Morris Kight Square, which is the actual original kickoff point of the parade 50 years ago," LA Pride's Gerald Garth said. "As well as creating opportunities to engage families, differently-abled communities, and just really broadening what access looks like for the LGBTQ+ communities and our allies."
The LGBTQ+ experience can look very different for many people, according to Garth. "So it's really important that we are able to create spaces and opportunities for folks to feel safe, but also to show up bravely," he said.
LA Pride has emphasized creating more diverse experiences through geographic settings and involving several generations of the LGBTQ+ community.
Garth points to Hollywood's diverse community and large trans population, as well as it being home to the biggest LGBTQ+ center in the world.
"It is really necessary that we continue to create spaces that show us working together, moving together because we're stronger together," he said.
