Women’s Equality Day Takes Over LGBT Rainbow District in West Hollywood

City of West Hollywood’s Women’s Equality Day – WeHo Takeover pop-up experience took place on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard on Saturday, August 26, 2023  from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. The City of West Hollywood and its Women’s Advisory Board honored the optimism, tenacity, and unrelenting spirit of the people who worked to secure women’s right to vote, and to illustrate how much can be achieved in a democratic society by the collective efforts of citizens committed to political reform.

The Women’s Equality Day – WeHo Takeover featured signage, photo-ops and giveaways celebrating women mobilizing for equal rights and recognizing the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920.

The celebration also highlighted the centennial and relevance of the Equal Rights Amendment, which was first introduced in 1923 and ratified in 2020 but remains unpassed to this day. Community members were encouraged to pick up free sashes, buttons, voter information, and to take photos and share via social media promoting voting rights, pay equity for women, and support for the Equal Rights Amendment.

“I’m here because I’ve been fighting for women’s equal rights ever since the Equal Rights Amendment passed Congress in the early 70s,” said participant Lori Stromberg. “In some ways, we’ve moved forward in a lot of different issues like equal pay for equal work. More women are in the workplace, and issues like sexual harassment have come to the forefront. We still have issues like abortion rights are being rolled back and it’s very discouraging for somebody, but right now we are celebrating got the right to vote.

Lori added that she thinks one of the good things for the movement that’s happened is that we’re now becoming more intersexual. “Today we understand that civil rights or human rights,” she added. “We’re not only looking at women’s rights, but we’re looking at LGBTQ rights. We’re looking at racial inequality, we’re trying to deal with with all of those inequality anywhere, you know. So I think that’s really important.”

The event also promoted the opening of the ERA Feminist Art Show – “Sembramos Sueños para Cosechar Esperanza” (Planting Dreams to Harvest Hope) presented by EQUAL MEANS EQUAL and Moby Arts in celebration of Women’s Equality Day. The show will run August 27 – September 26, 2023. Viewing hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

The ERA Feminist Art Show features a collection of thought-provoking and visually stunning artwork exploring diverse themes including equality, feminism, gender identity and social justice and the ongoing struggle for women’s rights. Featuring the works of artists Rosario Martinez “La Piztola”, Corrie Mattie “LA Hope Dealer”, Synowin Peters , Elyse Pignolet , Amy Smith, Mynxii White, Natalie White and Whitney Yoh.

For more information: https://equalmeansequal.org/the-e-r-a-feminist-art-show-2023/

For more than two decades, the City of West Hollywood has commemorated Women’s Equality Day in a variety of ways. The City of West Hollywood was the first city in the nation to declare itself pro-choice and it has continually supported state and federal legislation protecting and advancing women’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare. The City supports the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and has a strong record of supporting initiatives that call for equal pay for equal work. The City’s Women’s Advisory Board and is involved in a myriad of programming and events that recognize and support women in the community.