LA Pride marches on as immigration tension grips region

As immigration-related unrest gripped the city, the celebration of Pride Month marched on as Los Angeles hosted its 55th Annual Pride Parade in Hollywood on Sunday, June 8 .

“At LA Pride, your safety is our top priority,” organizers said on social media. “In light of recent reports of ICE activity across the region, we want our community — especially our undocumented, immigrant, and mixed-status families — to know that we are actively working with local Law Enforcement to ensure a safe and welcoming environment at all Pride events.

“We stand with you. We see you. And we will do everything in our power to protect and support our community.”

LA Pride Parade is the oldest, largest and longest-running event in Southern California, according to Christopher Street West, the nonprofit that produces the event.

“Here, queer, and not going anywhere,” attendees of Sunday’s parade cheered.

As they do each June during Pride Month, thousands took to the streets of Hollywood on for the lively community celebration and mile-long parade route along Hollywood Boulevard. They chanted, waved signs and rainbow flags, and celebrated LGBTQ+ pride and spirit.

Despite federal pushback and executive orders targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community, many attending Sunday’s parade and festival vowed to stay visible, and keep standing for freedoms.

Elected officials including L.A. County Supervisors Lindsay Horvath and Hilda Solis, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, and members of the L.A. City Council walked and rode in decorated floats in the parade.

And with immigration-related protests and a growing National Guard presence across town, Pride attendees gathered in communal solidarity.

“L.A. is for everyone,” and “You are loved and wanted,” some signs read.

This year’s parade grand marshals included Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated actor Andrew Rannells, social media influencers Trino Garcia and Adam Vasquez, known as TrinoxAdam, and spouses Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts, who made history in 2022 as the first same-sex couple to be on the cover of Essence magazine.

The event included a Pride Village street fair with hundreds of vendors, an art gallery, a ballroom battle, appearances and performances from queer community icons and drag queens.

This year’s theme, “Pride Marches On,” celebrated the “tenacity and resilience” of the LGBTQ+ community, organizers said.

“I’m full of pride and full of love,” Nash said on the parade broadcast. She told young people watching, “Keep standing out — don’t ever try to fit in. Just be you.”