After two years of coronavirus-related cancellations, the Long Beach Pride Parade & Festival will return this weekend, but with a few changes — and a promise to be better than ever.
This year marks the first summertime celebration, as the event has traditionally been held in May. The date change will provide longer days and better weather for festival goers, the organizers say.
The three day event, which runs from Friday to Sunday, July 8-10, will feature headlining performances from rapper Iggy Azalea and Spanish singer-songwriter Natalia Jiménez, along with a slew of other shows and experiential activities.
Pride’s organizers have had two years to consider changes to the festival — the 2020 and 2021 in-person events were canceled because of COVID-19 concerns and were replaced instead with virtual happenings — and they say they are now aiming to set a new standard for Pride.
The goal, LB Pride President Elsa Martinez said in a recent interview, is to encourage attendees to “spend a little bit of time to learn about what allowed us to be able to celebrate Pride the way we do today.”
The Stonewall Riots, which catalyzed the modern LGBTQ rights movement, was 53 years in New York. Long Beach held its first Pride in 1984.
The LGBTQ community has since gained wider mainstream acceptance and saw marriage equality become a constitutional right in 2015. Long Beach Pride, meanwhile, has grown into one of the largest LGBTQ celebrations in the region — attracting as many as 75,000 people in some years.
But the community still faces challenges — and many fear backsliding.
Fears have circulated that the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade could pave the way for other consitutional rights to be overturned, including marriage equality, which the court affirmed in the landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges case.
Justice Samuel Alito, in his majority opinion, said the decision to overturn Roe had no impact on other cases. But Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurring opinion, said the court should reconsider multiple cases that hinge on a right to privacy, including Obergefell.
The transgender community, meanwhile, remains particularly vulnerable — both legislatively and physically.
More than 17 states had passed laws banning transgender children from playing sports with their peers, as of March 31, according to the nonrprofit Human Rights Campaign. More than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills had so far been introduced across the country this year, as of March 31 — and more than 135 of those are anti-transgender bills.
At least 57 transgender or gender non-conforming people were killed last year, the highest number since HRC started tracking deaths in 2013. And so far this year, at least 19 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been killed.
In a nod to further inclusivity, the city last week tweaked its crosswalks at Broadway and Junipero Avenue from the traditional Pride rainbow hues to what’s known as the Progress Pride colors, which recognizes LGBTQ communities of color and incorporates elements of the Transgender Pride Flag.
The new colors — black and brown stripes for marginalized communities of color, and, from the Transgender Pride Flag, pink, light blue and white — are arranged in arrow shapes at one end of the crosswalks.
Long Beach will also add the new colors to the rest of the crosswalks in the Broadway corridor this week, according to a city press release.
Those crosswalks are where Broadway intersects with Newport, Cherry, Falcon and Orange avenues.
Long Beach Pride, meanwhile, will also celebrate the transgender community next weekend. Pride will debut its new Transcendence Dome, a pop-up museum that will pay tribute to the transgender women of color who pioneered the festival.
“That one will have a couple of documentaries — one about a teen who transitioned, and her story — and another historical one,” Martinez said. “It’s not just about fun — it’s about the history. I’m proud of that.”
The festivities will kick off with a celebration of Teen Pride on Friday and the main parade will take place Sunday. But the party will last all weekend, with a two-day waterfront music festival on Saturday and Sunday.
Azalea, one of the festival’s two headliners, has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, including for Best Record in 2015 for “Fancy,” featuring English singer Charli XCX.
The other headliner, Jiménez, is a Spanish singer who has won both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards. During her career, she has performed with other major Latin music stars, including Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin.
The festival stages will also feature performances from Sonora Tropicana, Amor Prohibido Band (a Selena Quintanilla Pérez Tribute Band), and hip-hop singer and actress YoYo, among others.
The organizers have also added a circuit dance pavilion this year, according to the Pride’s Thursday announcement. It’ll feature sets from several DJs, including Nina Flowers and Tony Moran.
“It’s one of our biggest tents,” Martinez said of the dance pavilion. “It’ll be darker, with lasers and people jumping around — giving that feel of being in a giant club.”
A rainbow roller rink, a silent disco, community walls for guests to share their stories and a drag makeup glam squad — who can give full makeovers, or just a quick touch up — will be among the other fresh activities.
“There will be spaces to get your makeup done a la drag,” Martinez said, “and a stage to sashay through and show off what you just did.”
The festival will also feature zones with events specifically designed for families and senior citizens.
Martinez said she anticipates the event to draw about 30,000 to 40,000 people.
“But there might be close to 80,000 people on the parade route on Sunday,” Martinez said. “It’s very well attended.”
Amy Schneider, a 40-time “Jeopardy!” champion and the most prolific winning woman in the show’s history, will serve as the Grand Marshal of the Pride parade this year. Schneider is the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions.
“Having been raised in a Catholic family, Schneider suppressed her gender identity well into adulthood,” a June 29 press release said. “She has since stressed the importance of trans representation — and shifting the focus from their suffering to their accomplishments.”
Several Long Beach locals will also serve as marshals in the parade, as a nod to their work in service of the LGBTQ+ community, Martinez said.
Judi Doyle, one of Long Beach Pride’s founders, will be posthumously honored during the parade and festival.
Doyle, who received a death threat during the second ever Pride event and was asked by public officials to wear a bulletproof vest when marching in the parade, died in February.
“It’s wonderful to be back — we’re so happy to be back and be proud and loud with our community,” Martinez said. “It’s going to be an amazing weekend.”
Single day general admission tickets to Long Beach Pride start at $40. Find more ticket information at longbeachpride.com.
Source: Orange County Register
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