LA Pride 2018: #JustBe announced as new theme

LA Pride has a new theme, Just Be, that celebrates the individual and their meaning of pride. Photo: LA Pride.

WEST HOLLYWOOD — LA Pride has a new theme and campaign that celebrates individuality and the expression of pride. 

Christopher Street West, the nonprofit group that produces the annual West Hollywood-based LA Pride Festival and Parade, announced the #JustBe slogan on Friday. 

“Everyone experiences Pride a little bit differently – and we wouldn’t want it any other way because that’s precisely what makes our community tick,” Shayne Thomas, Christopher Street West board member, said in a statement. “#JustBe is a deeply personal invitation for self-expression that, we hope, will empower members of the LGBTQ community – as well as our very important straight allies – to embrace, embody, and express what Pride truly means to them in the rawest, most authentic ways possible.”

ALSO READ: Long Beach Pride announces new LGBTQ seniors area

 

The LA Pride Festival will take place June 9 and 10 in West Hollywood Park on San Vicente Boulevard — between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue — and in the Pacific Design Center Plaza.

Single tickets are $20, and individual weekend passes are $30.

Advance tickets can be purchased online.

No information has been released yet on the pride parade, which last year was replaced with a Resist March protesting the Trump Administration.

LA Pride officials also said that the #JustBe theme build’s on the organization’s mission statement that was revamped last year. 

“Our mission is to create safe and inclusive spaces for self-expression, inspire an authentic sense of activism in the continued fight for equality, and celebrate the unique heritage and diverse cultures of Los Angeles’ LGBTQ+ community and its allies.”

The theme also will be used to commemorate people who fought for justice and equality, LA Pride organizers said.

ALSO READ: LA Pride named 1967 Black Cat protester parade grand marshal

 

Los Angeles organized the nation’s first gay pride parade in 1970. The festival started four years later. The parade marched down Hollywood Boulevard, but eventually the festival and parade moved to West Hollywood for several reasons:

  • The enclave had a large gay and lesbian population and was considered more gay friendly than Hollywood
  • The festival had outgrown its Hollywood site
  • The continuing hostility of the Los Angeles Police Department

About the author

Beatriz E. Valenzuela

Beatriz E. Valenzuela is an award-winning journalist who’s covered breaking news in Southern California since 2006 and has been on the front lines of national and international news events. She also covers all things nerd, including comic book culture and video games. She’s an amateur obstacle course racer, constant fact-checker, mother of three, and lover of all things geek.

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