Pride Month continues with the Los Angeles LGBT Center hosting the 20th Annual Trans Pride L.A. festival at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, on Friday June 15, from 7pm–10pm and Saturday, June 16, from 12pm – 9:30pm. Trans Pride is one of the oldest and largest trans celebrations in the country.
For the seventh consecutive year, Trans Pride L.A. kicks off with the Center’s ongoing community forum series Big Queer Convo. This year’s speaker is Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkens, the nation’s first openly transgender African-American woman to be elected to public office. In December 2016, Jenkins announced she would run on the city council to represent Minneapolis’s Eighth Ward. In November 2017, she won the election with more than 70 percent of the vote. Big Queer Convo is free, but reservations are recommended by registering at lalgbtcenter.org/tp18bqc.
“We’re always thrilled to welcome Trans Pride L.A. back to the Center,” said Gina Bigham, the Center’s Cultural Arts Coordinator and organizer of the festival. “It’s one of our signature events each year at the Center and a wonderful opportunity to bring Southern California’s trans and gender non-conforming communities together to celebrate our strength and resilience.”
Immediately following Big Queer Convo, the evening will continue with the opening of Let Me Show You Something Beautiful, an art exhibit in The Village’s Advocate & Gochis Galleries, featuring the photography of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker/photojournalist Kimberlee Acquaro. Everyone is invited to a reception with music and refreshments in The Village’s spacious courtyard.
On Saturday, June 16, the celebration continues with a self-defense workshop; a clothing swap sponsored by TransTribe Los Angeles; and a discussion with gender nonconforming/nonbinary panelists. Approximately 40 organizations will participate in a resource fair to offer information on a wide array of services and programs vital to the trans community.
Saturday evening activities include a Happy Hour event presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka; a catered dinner prepared for more than 500 people; a special awards presentation; and a VarieTy show starring an amazing array of performers, including Transparent’s Alexandra Billings, RuPaul’s Drag Race vet Kelly Mantle, Sharon Brown, Billie White Acre, Jordan Balgat, Heather Barron, Ezra Michel, members of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, and Kai Gloger, a nine-year-old trans female who will read her coming out essay.
Trans Pride L.A.’s sponsors include Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, The Fight magazine, and Happy Hippie Foundation. Community partners are the Transgender Law Center and TransTribe Los Angeles. The festival’s music sponsor is Shadout. Exclusive vodka sponsor is Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90038, (One block east of Highland Ave.; just north of Santa Monica Blvd.)
NOTE: During construction of the Center’s new facility directly across the street from The Village, free parking is limited. Limited parking is available at our Highland Annex located at 1220 Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 (one block north of The Village). Please allow extra time to find parking or choose public transportation or a ride service.
Admission to all events is FREE.
To RSVP for Big Queer Convo, visit lalgbtcenter.org/tp18bqc.
For more information and updates about Trans Pride L.A., visit lalgbtcenter.org/transpride.
