the pride
⚫
10.01.2023 – 10.31.2023 June 2025
LOS ANGELES 1
WWW.THEPRIDELA.COM
THE LOS ANGELES LGBT NEWSPAPER
“Pride Marches On”: LA Pride Honors Queer Burbank Mayor Faces Backlash Over Playful Resilience with Star-Studded Parade Video, Cites Critics Anti-LGBTQ+ Biasand Street Festival Mayor Konstantine Niecy Nash, Jessica Anthony Defends Betts to Amid Lead Pride Actions Parade as Grand Controversy Over Marshals in Year Video of Community and By Dolores Quintana Courage
Burbank Anthony is The 55th Mayor annual Konstantine LA Pride Parade is set facing criticism from conservatives following to return on June 8 with the theme “Pride the circulation a video showing him being Marches On,” of honoring the resilience and spanked by a drag queen during an amid event strength of the LGBTQ+ community the marked weekend September 10.Southern Anthony aonyear byof adversity across has responded that some of his critics are California. motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias and that the Organized by the Christopher Street incidentAssociation, was harmless.the 2025 celebration West In the video,an posted by of the Wisenuts podcast, will feature array grand marshals, Mayor Anthony is seen being spanked by including Vanguard Grand Marshals Niecy aNash drag and artist, backed by the Village People’s Jessica Betts, Celebrity Grand “Macho Man.” Anthony described the events Marshal Andrew Rannells, and Community as “shenanigans” emphasized that Adam it was Grand Marshals and Trino Garcia and
Vasquez, also known as "TrinoxAdam," a couple who gained viral attention for their story defying stereotypes. This year’s theme underscores both the legacy and forward momentum of LA Pride, the longest-running Pride event in Southern California, organizers said. The parade will also recognize first responders and community members who supported local recovery efforts during recent wildfires with a dedicated “Heroes of the Wildfires” section. ABC7/KABC-TV will return as the event’s official broadcast partner, airing the parade live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT. Hosting duties will be led by “Good
all in good fun. He went on to reveal that a secretly recorded video was made during the event and subsequently shared with a prominent hate group. In a post on his Instagram account, Anthony stated, “For several days, extremist right-wing organizations, including Fox News, have spread misleading information to fuel fear, discrimination, and hate. I will always be a proud supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and drag performers.” He added, “On a busy Saturday filled with various independent gatherings, I attended the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats’ private fundraiser for their organization. Notably, there were no officially endorsed candidates or state and federal political figures present. The event was open to young adults ages 15 and above. However, there were no attendees below 18. Additionally, no children were present.” While not specifying the particular hate group in question, is possible that Anthony Morning America”itweekend co-anchor and was referring to the Twitter correspondent account, now ABC News transportation known as X, called “LibsABC7 of TikTok,” which Gio Benitez, along with Eyewitness
News anchors Ellen Leyva and Coleen Sullivan. Coverage will extend to ABC7’s digital platforms, Hulu, and ABC News Live. The station previously won a regional Emmy Award for its 2022 LA Pride Parade broadcast. Field reporters David González, Sophie Flay, and Kevin Ozebek will deliver live updates from along the route, capturing performances, float processions, and crowd reactions.Hall, where the documentary was set Thomson to Following be screened. the parade, the LA Pride Village will takesecurity over Lung street stated, festival “Our standard Hollywood Boulevard between Argyle and measures remained in place during this time, Bronson from 11 commenced a.m. to 8 p.m. free and the screening withThe a slight event To willourfeature more this thanwas 100a general booths delay. knowledge,
reposted the video and garnered over 8 million views. In response to the video, the Libs of TikTok account claimed that children were present at the event. Mayor Anthony disputed this assertion, stating that “actually, there weren’t any children at this private 21+ event. But of course, lying is totally on brand for you.” While the account correctly pointed out that individuals aged 15 and older were permitted to attend, the event’s organizer, the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats, released a statement clarifying that no individuals under the age of 18 were in attendance. Mayor Anthony reiterated this point during a City Council meeting and expressed his concern that the video’s circulation had led to city officials receiving “some of the most vile hate speech that I have ever seen.” Anthony encouraged those with concerns about his actions to communicate with him directly via email at kanthony@burbankca. gov. He stated, “If you want food to talktrucks, to me with vendors, nonprofits, about whatactivations, happened over the entertainment weekend, send sponsor and me two an email. Send me full-service an email. I will to on stages. Two barstalk will
you about it. There is no reason to involve all of the other people who were not at a public event, not at a government-sponsored event. It wasn’t even in the city of Burbank.” In a statement released on Tuesday, the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats voiced their support for Mayor Anthony and strongly denounced the sensationalized and inaccurate portrayal of their event for political purposes that promoted fear, homophobia, transphobia, and bigotry. The Democrats reaffirmed their commitment tocompete the LGBTQ+ communitysuch and Ninja—will in categories dragRunway, performers, refusing to engage with what as Performance, Sex Siren, and they referred to as “fake Face. Comedian and outrage.” activist Margaret
serve guests 21 and older with beverages provided by sponsors, including STOLI, Casamigos, Corona, and Coca-Cola. The Music Stage near Bronson Avenue will host a lineup of live performers to be announced in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Gower Community Stage will spotlight the return of the Ballroom Battle, a voguing competition rooted in New York’s Black and Brown LGBTQ+ ballroom scene. for Prominent houses— A spokesperson the Toronto police Miyake CTV Mugler, Gucci, and informed NewsGorgeous Toronto that the threat
Cho, who will also appear in the parade, will serve as one of the judges. This year’s Trans Galleria program will unveil a new exhibition titled “Bring the T,” showcasing multimedia works by transgender artists. The exhibit explores themes of trans visibility, discrimination, activism, and empowerment. All LA Pride Village events are open to the public and free of charge. For swept more the information, visit it within www. security scene and cleared lapride.org. 20 minutes,” noted Constable Victor Kwong.
had been conveyed to the festival’s private security by a passerby. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Toronto police and the private
Toronto police also clarified that the threat had a general nature and did not specifically target any individual or entity.
Bomb Threat Temporarily Halts “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” Premiere at TIFF World Premiere of Documentary Was Screened After 20-Minute Delay By Dolores Quintana The premiere of “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) faced a momentary setback on Saturday night due to a bomb threat. Judy Lung, TIFF’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, confirmed to CTV News Toronto via a written statement that the festival was alerted to an investigation “in the vicinity of the red carpet” at Roy
threat and not directed at the film or the artist.”
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