Why we postponed LA Pride 2020 amidst the COVID-19 crisis

 

Uncertain times call for extraordinary measures.

While the Board of Directors and staff of Christopher Street West (CSW) could have never imagined postponing the 50th anniversary of LA Pride in any way, given the unexpected and troubling circumstances the world is facing today, we’ve decided — in accordance with the latest measures put in place by the City of West Hollywood — to move our celebration to a later date (to be announced soon). After all, the health and safety of our incredible and dynamic community is our top priority.

We understand that you’re disappointed. But please try to see the silver lining in the gravity of this decision: we’re ultimately doing what’s best for our community as a whole.

Pride is more than just one weekend in a year. Or even a month. Pride is something that we live and breathe every day. Whether we celebrate LA Pride in mid-June (as we’ve done for the last 49 years) or, for this one specific year, decide to move it to another weekend, our celebration, our voices, our struggles, our triumphs, and our never-ending message for equality never stops.

In the coming weeks and months, we will make sure that the spirit of Pride is not forgotten. We are still working out all the details, but we can guarantee that LA’s LGBTQ+ community — and the entire world — will not get through 2020 without a Pride celebration to remember.

But as we all work through this very unpredictable environment we’re living in today, let’s try to remember one thing: we are a community. We may come from different walks of life. We may represent different religions or belief systems. We may speak different languages. We may be old or we may be young. We may have faced many different challenges in our lives. Please don’t forget, it’s these differences that make our community stronger, more resilient, and more powerful every day.

Our stories matter. Our lives matter. Our fight matters. We matter.

We will always matter.

This is why, even in the face of adversity, we must not forget the importance of standing together as a community. While there’s nothing easy about the world we’re living in today, that doesn’t mean we all can’t rise up and show the world what we’re made of. With incredible change comes myriad opportunities. This is just the beginning of something amazing. We can’t wait to celebrate with you all soon.

Stay proud, Los Angeles. We’ve already celebrated 50 years of Pride together. Now, let’s get ready to celebrate 50 years more!

With Pride,
CSW Board of Directors and Staff 

 

Madonna Cacciatore (Executive Director)

Estevan Montemayor (President)
Gerald Garth (Treasurer)
Cyan St. James (Secretary)

Gregory Alexander
Jake Brooks-Harris
Sharon-Franklin Brown
Candie Davidson-Goldronn
Noah Gonzalez
Craig Greiwe
Kevin Kelly
Jonathan London
Alexandra Magallon
Enrique Monagas
Julie Neumark
Tracy Paaso
Johanna Padilla
Raul Rios
Don Skeoch
Shayne Thomas

Michael Ferrera (Sponsorship Director)
Dara Nai (Operations Manager)
Landon Boren (Board Liaison)