After 40 years in West Hollywood, LA Pride plans to find a new home.
The new location for 2021 isn't known yet, but Phillip Zonkel, publisher of the LGBTQ+ publication Q Voice News, says it could be hard to find another place to hold the festival, which in 1970 became one of the first permitted gay rights parades in the country, aligned to mark the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in New York City:
"It's a huge festival, you know. It brings thousands of people every year, and the city subsidizes a couple million dollars for the festival with security, so trying to find another location for this festival could be a big challenge."
In a letter to the West Hollywood City Council, LA Pride organizers cited changing demographics of the L.A. area, construction in West Hollywood Park, and the desire to be allies for other social change movements.
Guests:
Hailey Branson-Potts, metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times whose areas of coverage include LGBTQ issues; she’s been following this story; she tweets
Lindsey P. Horvath, mayor of West Hollywood