Connect with us

Local

Rent control, housing on November ballot

California’s LGBT residents often considered the invisible homeless

Published

on

Coalition march in Sacramento April 23, 2018 announcing signature submission for Costa-Hawkins ballot measure. (Photo courtesy AHF)

Here’s a hypothetical: what if Democrats believed the polls and assumed Sen. Dianne Feinstein would easily win re-election and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom would easily win his gubernatorial contest against a Republican no one’s ever heard of—what would motivate California Democrats to turn out to vote statewide in the November 2018 midterm elections?

What about rent control and affordable housing—voting on an initiative to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act that many point to as one of the root causes of the homelessness crisis in California? It’s a bread-and-butter issue that crosses partisan lines as unscrupulous developers and landlords threaten livelihoods and force individuals and families to spend half their paycheck on rent.

The demand for rent control was one of the reasons gays, seniors and renters formed a coalition to create the City of West Hollywood in 1984, to ensure that the city had a say in regulating such price gauging. The city has been lobbying against Costa-Hawkins since 1995. On July 31, the Los Angeles County Boards of Supervisors will consider a proposal for an interim ordinance to temporarily limit rent hikes to three percent annually in unincorporated LA County. The freeze would be in effect until the Board votes on a permanent rent regulation solution at the end of the year.   

California voters, meanwhile, will decide on Nov. 6 whether to approve Proposition 10, the Affordable Housing Act, which supporters say will help to address the state’s growing housing crisis by allowing local communities to regulate rent control. The measure would effectively repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act —the 23-year-old law that prohibits cities and counties from setting limits on rent increases for buildings constructed after 1995 and, in Los Angeles, after 1978.

On July 15, 95 percent of the California Democratic Party’s Executive Board members voted to endorse Prop 10, which is backed by the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (AACE Action), the Eviction Defense Network (EDN), Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the Healthy Housing Foundation, a project of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). Damien Goodmon, Director of the Yes on 10 campaign, and Director of AHF’s Housing is a Human Right project, a subdivision of the Healthy Housing Foundation, told the Los Angeles Blade: “The time for rent gouging is over.”  

Critics contend that housing problems in California will only be exacerbated by the repeal of Costa Hawkins—which, they fear, would scare away developers at a time in which new construction is sorely needed. California ranks dead last in housing affordability and its citizens spend more of their income on rents and mortgages than people anywhere else in America. At the same time, the lack of new residential projects in the state has driven up prices and worsened overcrowding in major cities like Los Angeles. 

“I am committed to building and preserving affordable housing,” Garcetti told the LA Blade, “to meet growing demand in every way possible—including strengthening our rent stabilization ordinance and repealing Costa Hawkins—to protect people from being priced out of communities where they have invested so much of their lives. That is true especially of our most vulnerable Angelenos, including the LGBTQ community, who have been disproportionately affected by the housing crisis.”

California’s housing crisis has hit the LGBT community especially hard. LGBT youth, for instance, are 120 percent likelier to become homeless than their straight peers, according to a national survey of 26,000 young people released in November 2017 by Chapin Hall, a University of Chicago research and policy center. Additionally, according to True Colors Fund, of the nation’s 1.6 million youth 18 and younger who were homeless at some point in 2017, 40 percent were LGBT, even though they represent only 7 percent of that youth population overall. 

In California, the number of homeless children in K-12 schools overall has jumped 20 percent from 2014-15 to 2016-17, according to data collected by the California Department of Education. “Based on questionnaires filed by their families, more than 200,000 young people were living on the streets, in motels, in cars, in shelters or crowded into apartments with other families due to financial hardship,” EdSource reported last January.

“There’s a myth of San Francisco as the ‘gay mecca,’” Jodi Schwartz, executive director of Lyric, a nonprofit community center in San Francisco that serves LGBT youth, told EdSource “It can be. But just for some,” who can afford it.  “Of the 600 mostly LGBT young people enrolled in Lyric’s programs in San Francisco, 56 percent are homeless or have unstable housing situations and all are low-income,” EdSource reported.

Additionally, research by the AIDS Medical Monitoring Project found that, in 2014, 12 percent of people in California who are living with HIV/AIDS were either homeless or unstably housed—which creates barriers to positive health outcomes, from HIV prevention to effective treatment.

Among the recommendations presented in a March 2017 paper by the Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center is the adoption of State Assembly and Senate bills that “remove certain development and zoning restrictions, boost funding for construction of affordable housing units, increase tax breaks for renters, increase rent control, and establish a richer supportive services portfolio.”

Prop 10 appears to address at least some of those goals, but economists have pointed out that while rent control favors existing tenants, it raises rents on future occupants. A case study: San Francisco passed a local ballot initiative in 1994 that expanded the city’s rent control policies, which in the short term saved tenants thousands of dollars per year.

“However,” Stanford researchers wrote in 2017, “landlords of properties impacted by the law change respond over the long term by substituting to other types of real estate, in particular by converting to condos and redeveloping buildings so as to exempt them from rent control. This substitution toward owner occupied and high-end new construction rental housing likely fueled the gentrification of San Francisco, as these types of properties cater to higher income individuals.”

The study and its findings have been criticized by AHF. “It’s an article from Wall Street for Wall Street,” Goodmon told the LA Blade, pointing out that two of the Stanford University professors are UBS and Goldman Sachs alumni, respectively.

“The speculators, Wall Street, the landlords,” he said, “the people who are coming in, buying rent-controlled buildings, evicting [tenants], pushing them out, raising the rent, doubling it, tripling it in some cases…they don’t want to see their profits cut into.” 

Prop 10 is a referendum, Goodmon said, on whether these folks should have authority over decisions concerning housing policy, or whether this should instead be the domain of local communities and the representatives they elect. The Healthy Housing Foundation aims to wrest control from commercial developers and allow the democratic process to work out whether and how cities and small towns alike will enact rent control policies to address the housing crisis, he said. 

While it may seem like a departure for AHF to focus on affordable housing, Goodmon explained, it’s actually a return to the organization’s roots. AHF was originally founded as the AIDS Hospice Foundation and central to its mission was securing dignified housing for people who were dying of AIDS and affordable housing for those living with HIV—people who were routinely discriminated against, harassed, evicted or turned away by landlords and property owners. 

California’s first ‘Kasita’ micro home, a 352-square-foot state-of-the-art modular dwelling, is backed into position in the parking lot of the Madison Hotel on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, July 8, 2018. Advocates from the ‘Healthy Housing Foundation powered by AHF’ purchased and set up the Kasita at its Madison Hotel and will now open the Kasita for tours to the public, elected officials, housing advocates as well as Skid Row’s homeless population as a demonstration project as one possible alternative and innovative solution for homeless and affordable housing. (Photo outside Madison courtesy AHF)

AHF aims to create 10,000 affordable housing units in the next five years through projects including the renovation of the Madison Hotel in Skid Row. “We’re able to pull that off the speculative market,” Goodmon said, “and make it permanently accessible to those who are homeless. We’re also doing something similar on Sunset, where we bought a hotel and converted it into a facility for families who are homeless.” 

“We’ve added another lane,” AHF President Michael Weinstein said when asked about critics who say AHF should stay in its own lane. “Why is it that when a non-profit wants to help more people is that considered suspicious? AHF went from being a hospice organization to being a healthcare organization locally to being a national organization to being a global organization, from HIV and STDs, expanded into infectious disease, advocacy around Zika, Ebola and meningitis. This is a long and proud history of AHF meeting needs that no one else is addressing.”

Weinstein says AHF is focused on the three “P”s—prevent, preserve and produce. “Prevention” starts with the Prop 10 initiative. “We can’t have skyrocketing rents and hope to solve the housing issue in California or any other major city,” he says. “Preserve” is fighting developers building luxury towers in working class communities and displacing people. And “Produce” is bringing more housing online.

“We’ve taken on the issue of affordable housing with gusto,” says Weinstein. “I think it’s one of the most critical issues we face as a society and we have very enthusiastic support from all levels in the organization from the board to the management to the staff to the clientele,” noting that AHF be serving one million people sometime this year.

AHF has purchased three Single Room Occupancy hotels or motels in LA, with over 400 units in operation. “We estimate there are 5,000 empty SRO units in LA in the midst of this terrible crisis,” Weinstein says. “What’s been happening is that these owners feel that it’s more valuable to kick the people out because they’re under rent control and sell the building mostly empty. That would make it more attractive to buyers.” That means there are “very valuable resources in these hotels that we have not been utilizing.”

AHF is also trying to save Parker Center, the old LAPD headquarters downtown, and turn that into housing. The response, Weinstein says, “has been great, even among people at City Hall. They have to admit that spending $900 million on a city office building does not look good in the midst of this crisis.”

Neither Equality California nor the Los Angeles LGBT Center has yet taken an official position on Prop 10.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

California

New sapphic social club comes to West Hollywood

BBGRL Club debut night brings in full house with Niña Dioz performing live alongside local pop star BBGRL

Published

on

Dominique "BBGRL" Buggs poses with Paulina "Bro It's Paulina" Nguyen at BBGRL's debut show in West Hollywood. (Photo credit Dhalia Ghafoori)

BBGRL, formerly known as Dom, is an upcoming ethereal pop artist and visionary behind BBGRL Club — the femme-forward collective that aims to celebrate sapphic joy through music, performances and futuristic self-expression. Her pop sound blends synths, intimate vocals and Y2K nostalgia to build a unique experience for her audience.

BBGRL Social Club was born out of the idea that there needs to be more events for lesbians and sapphics in the City of Los Angeles. A city well-known for its vibrant and populous queer and trans community, struggles to make space for the many sapphics that inhibit the metropolis.

West Hollywood is home to a plethora of queer bars that are really open to all, but are locally known to cater more specifically to the gay male community. Whether it’s because of their male go-go dancers, beefy boy bartenders, or open restroom design for urinals and very few stalls, WeHo is very much for the gays. 

Now, we’re in 2025 and Dominique ‘Dom’ Buggs, libra, set out to be one of the few sapphics in Los Angeles to make space for the first letter of the acronym. Though there are a few other event spaces that do host consistent sapphic-centered nights, BBGRL, formerly known as Dom, wanted to make sure there was a space that not only welcomed, but centered the BIPOC baddies. Dom is from Mexico City, but is also half Black, so creating spaces like this is her personal mission. 

“[The goal] was to make a space where they could belong because I have been living in West Hollywood for many years and I really know there is a huge need for more authentic places that are actually inclusive to people from all walks of life, but that specifically center [sapphic]  people,” said Dom in an exclusive interview with the Los Angeles Blade. 

Emerging ethereal pop artist BBGRL interacts with the crowd during her debut night at WeHo’s Roosterfish on May 3, 2025.

(Photo credit to David Tran and Jocelyn Perich)

Even now in 2025 there are very few spaces that consistently cater to the sapphic community. At the start of 2025, there were only two. Only a few months into the new year and The Ruby Fruit — a sapphically-inclined wine bar in Silverlake — closed its doors due to what the owners say were financial circumstances beyond their control. The only other sapphically-centered space is Honey’s at Star Love. The bars opened around the same time, but Honey’s is an eccentric and charming place owned by queer, Black, women. 

Though there are very few other spaces that are intentional about making space for lesbian or sapphic nights, there are a lot of event organizers who take up the space on one night of the week or month. 

At Little Joy Cocktails in Echo Park, “Butchona” has one day a month to bring in all the lesbianas and butchonas who dress like their tíos — but better. At Bar Flores, there is a “The World is our Oyster” night, whose crowd tends to lean on the sapphic side. 

Last December, Roosterfish opened in West Hollywood, now adding itself to the list of brick-and-mortars making has made the space for sapphic events like BBGRL.

“This is my first time performing original music in West Hollywood period — but in a long time too,” said BBGRL. “I’m very excited to share a little bit of what I’ve been working on for some years.” 

BBGRL says that spaces like this are very necessary right now because of the social and political attacks on the LGBTQ community. 

“I’m really trying to build something that is memorable and something that really brings people together during these times where we really, really need unity.” 

During the social event’s debut night at Roosterfish in West Hollywood, BBGRL performed some of her music and invited long-time friend Niña Dioz to perform as well. 

“We are comadres and we both realized that we both had so many dreams about moving to L.A. and two years later in 2015 we both made the move and ended up being neighbors in Hollywood,” said BBGRL. “We formed a very special friendship that is really rooted in what reminds us of home — which is our community. Eventually she became my family.” 

Niña Dioz performs in West Hollywood on May 3, 2025. (Photo credit to David Tran and Jocelyn Perich)

After Niña Dioz returned to living in Mexico, BBGRL says it hit her hard, so their return to Hollywood to perform alongside BBGRL meant that much more to this dynamic duo. 

Carla Reyna, better known as Niña Dioz, is a nonbinary, queer hip-hop artist from Monterrey, Mexico. Over a decade ago, they stepped into a rap scene overly-saturated by male rappers within a culture that is also notorious for ignoring and sidelining women, trans and gender nonconforming people. Niña Dioz says they continue to fight the mainstream and make space for themselves and their homegirls. 

“I’m super excited to be here performing with my homegirl, BBGRL,” said Niña Dioz in an exclusive interview with the Los Angeles Blade. 

Niña Dioz says they are also excited to be working on new music to be released at the end of May. 

“I’m just excited to release new music,” said Dioz. “I took a few months off but it’s a song with Lenchanter. She sings chanteos (which is a slang term used in reggaeton music for fast and rhythmic lyrical music) and she is big in the queer, ballroom scene in Mexico City.” 

Niña Dioz says they are also excited to be releasing a new house music track right in time for Pride month. 

“I’m doing a lot of collaborations with artists from Latin America so you’re definitely going to be hearing from me this year,” they emphasized. 
The event will be hosted monthly in West Hollywood and will feature other performers, as well as guest DJs from the sapphic scene. At this event, the line-up included well-known sapphic DJ Amandita, who immaculately brings the vibes at every event where they play their bops but to keep up with the next lineup, follow BBGRL on Instagram.

BBGRL’s next show will be on June 11 at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles.

Continue Reading

Arts & Entertainment

WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD Music Festival to host free concert

Registration for free tickets will open tomorrow, May 16 at 10a.m. PT

Published

on

On Friday, May 30, WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD will kick off the weekend full of festivities with a free WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night outdoor concert. 

WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD Music Festival have come together this year featuring a lineup of LGBTQ performers and LGBTQ-focused programming for all ages. 

The kick off event is free, but requires an RSVP to secure the complimentary tickets and registration for tickets officially opens on Friday, May 16 at 10a.m. The headlining performer will be Maren Morris, a GRAMMY award-winning, singer-songwriter who came out as bisexual during Pride month last summer and released her fourth album earlier this month. 

The OUTLOUD Music Festival will continue on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, with a two-day concert experience spotlighting a dynamic lineup of LGBTQ+ artists including Lizzo, Remi Wolf, Kim Petras and Paris Hilton — all set to perform on the mainstage. Lil Nas X was also set to perform, but has been taken out of the lineup due to health issues. 

The SummerTramp stage will have Honey Dijon as the headliner, and feature sets from Horse Meat Disco, salute, Meredith Marks, Brooke Eden, and others. The Saturday and Sunday concerts are not free and do require tickets to be purchased in advance. 

“WeHo Pride Weekend is nearly upon us. Hosting WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD with free-entry tickets is more than symbolic — it’s a declaration that equality and inclusion matter,” said Chelsea Lee Byers, mayor of West Hollywood. “In West Hollywood, we celebrate queer lives and artists. At a time when LGBTQ communities face a surge of attacks across the country, West Hollywood remains committed to raising visibility and vibrantly celebrating our community. I’m so proud that the City of West Hollywood stands firm in the fight for LGBTQ rights and creative expression. I hope to see everyone out on Friday Night at OUTLOUD!”

WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD will begin at 6p.m. on Friday, May 30. The free WeHo Pride Street Fair will then take place on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, beginning at noon. Both days will feature live entertainment, drag performances, activities and dyke-tivities such as the Dyke March and Women’s Freedom Festival on Saturday, taking place at the WeHo Pride Community Stage. 

“This event is all about showing up, celebrating loudly, and creating space for queer joy and none of it would be possible without the incredible support from the City of West Hollywood,” said Jeff Consoletti, founder and executive producer of OUTLOUD. “We’re beyond grateful to have our partnership extended through 2030 and can’t wait to keep building something unforgettable together year after year.”


Weekend and single day passes are on sale now. 
For more information, visit the OUTLOUD Festival website.

Continue Reading

a&e features

Scarlet Vows: A wedding celebration like no other where queer nightlife, love, liberation take center stage

Published

on

(Photo Courtesy of The Scarlet Vows team)

On May 10th, West Hollywood will witness a wedding unlike any other — one that’s equal parts celebration and cultural statement. The Scarlet Vows is a fiery fusion of love, Black queer joy, and unapologetic nightlife, wrapped in a bold, red bow.

Celebrating the union of David Brandyn and Matthew Brinkley, Ph.D., this wedding transcends tradition, turning a day of commitment into a night of unforgettable energy, connection, and liberation. Picture a nightclub alive with lights, music, and bold red gowns swirling on the dance floor. Laughter fills the air, and joy radiates through every glittering detail. This isn’t just a wedding, it’s a love story turned party, turned cultural statement.

“We hate tradition,” said Brandyn, one half of the couple, co-producer of the event, writer and sexual health educator. “We wanted to celebrate in a place that actually feels like us — and that’s the club,” .

Together, he and Brinkley — a relationship therapist and dating coach — have built their careers around supporting Black queer communities. 

“We’re not just partners in love — we’re partners in purpose,” explained Brandyn. “This celebration is a tribute to the spaces and people that raised us, healed us, and reminded us we were never alone.” 

Their story began, like many queer romances today, with a match on Jack’d

“But I avoided meeting up,” said Brandyn while laughing. “I knew if we met in person, I’d fall in love — and I wasn’t ready yet.” Brinkley, determined, found another way — showing up at David’s job picnic. As a QTBIPOC couple, the meaning behind this union goes far beyond the personal. “We are what we didn’t see growing up,” said Brandyn. “We’re living proof that Black queer love exists and deserves to be celebrated loudly.” 

And that’s exactly what Scarlet Vows is: loud, proud, and deeply intentional. With every detail, the couple is reclaiming what weddings can look like for those of us who’ve been told we’re “too much, too queer, too different.” “We didn’t want perfection or tradition — we wanted sweat, sparkle, laughter, and love,” shared Brandyn. “So we created something that combines a ball, a house party, a love story, and a family reunion.” 

The name Scarlet Vows is more than aesthetic. “Scarlet is bold, sexy [and] powerful. Vows are sacred. Together, it’s a declaration: this isn’t love whispered in secret. This is love out loud, in full color, surrounded by chosen family.” 

From the moment guests walk in, they’ll be immersed in a world where Black queer joy is not only centered but celebrated. And when they walk out? 

“We hope they feel more alive, more hopeful, and more connected to what’s possible,” said Brandyn. 

Hosted at Beaches Tropicana, The Scarlet Vows promises an unforgettable night filled with live performances, giveaways, and vendors. The vibe? Elevated, emotional, and full of bold fashion. The dress code is red — think high glam, full drama, and statement-making looks. 

But beneath the sequins and spotlight is something even deeper: purpose. 

This celebration comes at a time when QTBIPOC communities are facing escalating attacks — politically, socially, and economically. The couple has weathered hardships planning this event too, including being robbed and experiencing sudden venue cancellations. Yet, they’ve persisted — reaching out to community members and aligned brands to co-create something powerful. “Nightlife saved us,” David reflects.

“It gave us safety, friendship, release. This is us giving back. This is joy without apology.” That joy is contagious. Whether you’re a longtime friend or a first-time guest, Scarlet Vows invites everyone to come as they are — whether in a gown, a jockstrap, or both. “Think warmth meets wild,” David smiles. “We want people to cry during the vows and then immediately turn up on the dance floor.” 

What happens after the last dance? “Maybe this turns into something bigger,” he muses. “A recurring event, a documentary, a community tradition. Either way, the impact is already bigger than just one night.” 

And if you’re still on the fence about attending? “You’ll miss the wedding of the year. A celebration of love, culture, and freedom. A ball, a rave, a healing circle, and a Black queer love story all in one,” said Brandyn. “If you’ve never seen what it looks like when we build something just for us — this is your chance.”

Continue Reading

California

Long Beach Pride reaffirms community focus for this year’s festival

This year’s theme is ‘Power of Community’

Published

on

Courtesy of Long Beach Pride

Long Beach Pride 2025 will take place on May 17 and 18 at Marina Green Park, emphasizing focus on grassroots organizations and local community performers. 

“Long Beach Pride has always been more than just a festival—it’s a movement,” said Elsa Martinez, interim president of LB Pride. “This year, more than ever, we’re celebrating the strength, creativity, and unity of our local community.” 

Martinez also notes that all the ticket sales directly go toward funding on-the-ground resources. 

“As a nonprofit organization, every aspect of the Pride Festival—from ticket sales to vendor partnerships—directly funds our work in the community,” noted Martinez. “This is a festival with purpose.”

As LB Pride amps up for its 42nd annual celebration, the organization has stated that this year marks the return to the roots of Pride. LB Pride stated that they are committed to emphasizing what makes the local community so special and spotlighting local performers, musicians and entertainers. 

The organization has also stated that they are committed to ‘justice, inclusion, and the celebration of queer joy.’ 

“Our strength has always been our solidarity,” said Martinez. “This year’s festival is a reminder of what we can achieve when we lift each other up.”

This year, the main stage will feature a lineup of pop, Hip-hop and Latin talent. 

Performers include HYM the Rapper, George Michael Reborn Tribute, Tori Kay, Jewels Drag Show Extravaganza, Secret Service, Tiancho and music mixes by DJ BSelecta, DJ Icy Ice and DJ 360. 

For updates, tickets, and volunteer opportunities, please visit https://longbeachpride.com and follow @LongBeachPride on social media.

Continue Reading

California

LA Pride 2025 announces grand marshals and parade theme

The parade will also pay tribute to the city’s first responders, relief organizations, agencies, officials and others who stepped up during the January fires

Published

on

The theme for the parade set to take place on Sunday June 8, at 11 a.m., will fittingly be “Pride Marches On,” and this year’s parade grand marshals will be Niecy Nash-Betts and wife Jessica Betts, Andrew Rannells, and Trino Garcia and Adam Vasquez, who are also known as ‘TrinoxAdam.’

Rannells, a Grammy-winning, two-time Tony-nominated actor celebrated for his work on stage, screen, and television, is this year’s LA Pride Celebrity Grand Marshal. 

“I’m truly honored to be this year’s Celebrity Grand Marshal of LA Pride,” said Rannells. “I don’t take it lightly and I just hope in some small way I can reflect the strength and resilience of the queer community, especially in times like these.”

Rannells made his TV directorial debut with Amazon’s “Modern Love” and is widely recognized for his role as Elijah Krantz on HBO’s “Girls,” which garnered a Critics Choice nomination. He recently appeared on Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” and Showtime’s “Black Monday,” earning him yet another Critics Choice nomination. Rannells is also an author, director and Broadway actor. 

Nash-Betts, one-half of this years Vanguard Marshals, is a multi-talented Emmy Award-winning actress, producer and director who has captivated audiences on many projects across the big screens. Soon, she will be making a big appearance starring opposite Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor and Glenn Close, in Ryan Murphy’s “All’s Fair” Hulu TV series about an all-female legal firm. 

Chicago native Betts will join her wife Nash-Betts as the other half of this years Vanguard Grand Marshal’s of the parade. Betts is an acclaimed singer-songwriter known for her original electric and acoustic rock and soul music. The two have been married since 2020 and in 2022, they made history as the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of Essence magazine, receiving a nomination for a GLAAD Media Award.

“We are thrilled to have Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts as this year’s Vanguard Grand Marshals,” said Gloria Bigelow, CSW board member. “As individuals and as a couple, they exemplify the beauty of living authentically and embracing love in all its forms. Their presence serves as a shining example for our community, reminding us to celebrate who we are, love fiercely and never back down from our Pride.”

TrinoxAdam will be this years Community Grand Marshals. The two are a loving gay couple who have dazzled the queer, Latin community with their content showcasing how they reclaim the cholo, or ‘xolo’ identities. They went viral on social media after sharing a romantic kiss on a bridge overlooking the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles. Now famous on social media, the two make content about their love, challenging traditional perceptions of masculinity, sexuality and Chicano culture. 

“Pride is about loving yourself and accepting yourself for who you truly are,” said Trino Garcia and Adam Vasquez. “Being this year’s LA Pride’s Community Grand Marshals is the biggest honor and our greatest accomplishment, knowing we’ve made an impact and helped people find acceptance within themselves and finally feel the true meaning of Pride.”

This year, the parade will also pay tribute to the city’s first responders, relief organizations, agencies, officials and others who stepped up during the fires that devastated Altadena and Pacific Palisades, in a special “Heroes of the Wildfires” section in the lineup. 

Los Angeles County Fire Department marches in the 2024 LA Pride Parade. (Photo courtesy of LA Pride)

“This year LA Pride marks a pivotal moment for both the Los Angeles and LGBTQ communities,” said Gerald Garth, CSW board president. “Despite facing unimaginable challenges, our community has always emerged stronger. This year’s theme, ‘Pride Marches On,’ symbolizes the strength of our community, and no matter the fire, hate or fear, Pride will always forge ahead. We look forward to embodying this spirit while celebrating resilience, hope and togetherness.”

The parade will be hosted by “Good Morning America” Saturday and Sunday co-anchor and ABC News transportation correspondent Gio Benitez and “ABC7 Eyewitness News” anchors Ellen Leyva and Coleen Sullivan. 

After the Parade, LA Pride will host LA Pride Village on Hollywood Boulevard. Now in its fourth year, this free street festival will feature programming on two stages, welcome over 80 booths with local vendors and nonprofits, dozens of sponsor activations, giveaways, games, scores of food trucks, and two 21+ full-service bars.

For the third year in a row, LA Pride will also be featuring “Ballroom Battle,” the voguing competition created by New York City’s Black and Brown LGBTQ+ communities made famous by the documentary, “Paris is Burning,” Madonna, and the FX show “Pose.” LA’s premiere ballroom houses such as House of Miyake Mugler, House of Ninja, and House of Gorgeous Gucci will compete in front of celebrity judges, including Margaret Cho, who will also be in the parade, riding with longtime LA Pride alumni Project Angel Food.

A curated art exhibition called “Bring the T” will feature works in multiple media by trans artists that represent and explore themes around trans discrimination and erasure but also activism, determination and fearlessness.

The parade is set to broadcast live on Sunday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT on ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles. 

The live broadcast will include comprehensive coverage from ABC7 news reporters David González, Sophie Flay and Kevin Ozebek, who will be reporting directly from the parade route, capturing all the festivities.

Continue Reading

Commentary

From pride to policy, it’s time to build in WeHo

‘West Hollywood isn’t just coasting on its values—we’re acting on them’

Published

on

By John M. Erickson, West Hollywood City Councilmember

West Hollywood has always stood as a beacon for LGBTQ people, for the
marginalized—for anyone chasing a place to be safe, seen, and supported. But that
promise is slipping away. If people can’t afford to live here, then West Hollywood becomes a symbol, not a sanctuary.

The housing crisis gripping Southern California is particularly acute in LGBTQ communities. Whether it’s trans women of color pushed into homelessness, queer youth aging out of foster care, or seniors on fixed incomes being priced out of the very neighborhoods they helped shape—our inability to build enough housing is deepening the inequality we claim to fight against. Our failure to build enough housing is not just a policy gap—it’s a moral one.

This isn’t theoretical. It’s personal.

As a gay man and a progressive policymaker, I know what it means to live at the intersection of identity and action. I carry the legacy of those who fought for a seat at the table—and the duty to do more than just sit there. Right now, that means confronting a housing system that’s failing the very people we claim to protect.

When West Hollywood became a city in 1984, we inherited density. We had walkable
neighborhoods, apartment buildings, and a diverse housing stock. But we froze. For 40
years, our zoning has barely moved.

In the last 25 years, WeHo has actually decreased in population. Meanwhile the number
of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ has more than tripled in that same amount of
time. We haven’t kept up with demand, and we haven’t met the needs of the vulnerable
communities we claim to champion.

That’s about to change.

On Monday, May 5th, I’m introducing a sweeping housing reform package aimed at one
thing: making it easier, faster, and cheaper to build homes in West Hollywood. Not just
luxury condos—homes people can actually live in. That means slashing red tape. Cutting delays. Dismantling outdated rules that stall projects and drive up rents.

This isn’t about bulldozing neighborhoods or silencing community voices. It’s about
fixing a broken system—one built for a different era and completely out of step with the
urgency of now. It’s time to stop confusing progressive branding with progressive
outcomes. We need real reform: faster processes, smarter regulations, and yes—political courage.

Will this fix everything overnight? No. But it will send a clear message: West Hollywood
isn’t just coasting on its values—we’re acting on them.

Housing justice is LGBTQ+ justice. It’s racial justice, economic justice, and generational
justice. We don’t get to call ourselves a queer haven if only the rich and lucky can live
here. The West Hollywood of the future must make room for drag artists, Trader Joe’s
cashiers, trans youth, longtime renters—and anyone else trying to build a life with
dignity.

A city that flies the Pride flag can’t stand by while its most vulnerable residents are
priced out and pushed out. We owe the next generation more than just slogans and
rainbows. Let’s leave them keys.

Continue Reading

Events

New ‘Party with a Purpose’ lesbian brunch to be hosted at Sorry Not Sorry

Lez Brunch is coming to Sorry Not Sorry L.A. on May 17 with bottomless mimosas and games

Published

on

Jessica Wagstaff is the founder of Homology L.A. and most recently partnered up with The Queer 26, a nonprofit platform for QTBIPOC creatives, to produce Lez Brunch. The brunch will be hosted on May 17, from noon to 4p.m., at Sorry Not Sorry. The 4,000 sq-ft event space is a well-respected wine-forward, cocktail bar in Los Angeles that also hosts lots of other LGBTQ events, drag shows and more, throughout the year. 

Wagstaff believes it is important to not only host this event, but also to make it as safe and inclusive as possible. They have also incorporated a community outreach aspect to this event by giving back to their community by donating proceeds to non-profit and mutual aid organizations.

Everything down to the ticketing site, is queer and inclusive. 

“The ticketing website allows attendees to enter in their name which may differ from their legal name, which I think is a really important aspect right off the top of the bat, they know we care about who they are right at the start of their experience with us,” said Wagstaff. “In fact the ticketing website is the only platform that is queer owned and operated in the world, it’s called Sickening Events. So we know that it’s also benefiting our community.”

The performers are also part of the LGBTQ+ community and Wagstaff believes that by having a line-up of performers and entertainers who mirror and represent the community, it allows people to feel safe, heard and seen. 

“I’ve always been very passionate about having a lineup that directly mirrors our community from BIPOC, trans, queer, non-binary, etc,” said Wagstaff. 

Wagstaff is also a licensed security guard who says safety and security is on the top of their priorities when it comes to hosting these events. 

“I will have a code of conduct signage and training at the front door which will be promoted by wait staff, restaurant management, plus all Lez Brunch talent and staff,” said Wagstaff. 

The event will be hosted by Ruthie Alcaide who is a TV personality who has been a contestant on The Real World: Hawaii, a finalist on Battle of the Sexes and All Stars 1, and she also competed on Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet 2, and The Duel II.

Wagstaff is also working in collaboration with Camille Ora-Nicole, founder of The Queer 26 and multi-hyphenated creative. 

Ora-Nicole has been hosting events and collaborating with queer and trans BIPOC creatives across Los Angeles to bring more visibility to those marginalized communities. Her and Wagstaff agree that queer joy is the biggest form of resistance and that hosting these events during this politically polarizing time is much needed for survival and for the people in these communities to have the space to heal, gather, celebrate and network. 

To learn more about The Queer 26, visit their website.

Continue Reading

Events

Los Angeles Blade’s Community Series kicks off with panel

First panel in series brought in community leaders, politicians and other notable figures

Published

on

Left to Right, West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers, former WeHo Mayor and queer activist Abby Land, Equality California Communications Director Jorge Reyes Salinas, Political Vice President of the Stonewall Democratic Club Nico Brancolini, and NAACP LGBTQ+ Committee Chair Chris Baldwin, and Roar Resistance’s Michael Ferrera.

The Los Angeles Blade kicked off its “Free Community Series” in partnership with Roar
Resistance, for a rousing discussion panel titled “Time To Get Informed, Time To
Resist” at The Abbey in West Hollywood last Saturday.

The event featured a panel of notable figures in the city’s government and queer
activism circles who spoke about how to organize and protect queer rights in the current
political climate.

The panel was moderated by Roar Resistance’s Michael Ferrera, and included West
Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers, former WeHo Mayor and queer activist Abbe Land,
Equality California Communications Director Jorge Reyes Salinas, Political Vice
President of the Stonewall Democratic Club, Nico Brancolini and NAACP LGBTQ
Committee Chair Chris Baldwin.

The discussion kicked off with a call by Abbe Land for participants to stay focused on
the issues that matter, despite the flood of new developments constantly coming from
the White House.

“I do think it was designed that way to keep us crazed, to keep us unfocused, to keep us
in a state of panic and fear,” said Land. “We have to look at what is happening and
where is our lane and where are we going to focus our energies and have trust that
there are other people that are focusing in other areas that need focus.”

Each of the panelists then described how the first few months of the current
administration has impacted the work they’re doing in the community and the dangers
they see on the horizon.

“I have been deeply disturbed by the elite capitulation that occurred this time around,”
Brancolini said, noting the big law firms and media corporations that have acceded to
“unconstitutional orders” and rushed to make settlements with Trump and his family.

“Frankly, I’ve been disappointed by a lot of the national Democratic leadership. I think
they treated a 1.5% plurality victory on Trump’s behalf as if it was a huge blowout, and I
think that’s a big mistake,” said Land.

Reyes Salinas pointed out that a one of the most vulnerable communities right now is
trans youth.

“The target is on their backs and the backs of their families and providers,” he said.
“Here in California, we have laws that protect them and we keep improving those, but
there’s still so much fear, and it’s important for everyone to be able understand that
these are children’s lives at stake here.”

But while there was agreement that there is much at risk at the current moment, Chris
Baldwin said this was a time to build stronger coalitions.

“I don’t live my life in fear. I am a Black woman born in the 60s, at a time when my father
when we traveled to Alabama had to step across the street to let a white man pass,”
she said. “We will get through this. Black people have lived through much worse.
Welcome to the civil rights movement. We are going to experience setbacks but we will
keep pushing forward.”

Later, Baldwin invited attendees to join the NAACP, noting that it is an interracial
organization whose membership is open to all. Chelsea Byers echoed that sentiment, noting that this moment presents an opportunity for a new generation of leaders to imagine new ways to solve society’s big problems.

“We know that people are under-resourced. We need to make education accessible to
people bring them on board, help them understand these processes and meet them
where they’re at,” she said. “We need to bring people on board. We can’t go back to
what was, because it wasn’t working. We need to activate our political imaginations in
the biggest way possible.”

When the discussion turned to what people can do to protect our rights, the panelists
focused on practical things anyone can do to help build a successful coalition for
change.

“Every day, do something. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It might be just calling
someone to check in on them, it might be writing a letter, or calling your congressman. It
might be a passive thing,” said Land. “That moment when you think, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe this,’ that’s when you do something, anything and it’ll propel you for the next
day.”

The panel also addressed concerns from the audience that we have to ensure that our
activism is inclusive and intersectional.

“Feminism without intersectionality is just white supremacy,” Baldwin said. “Going
forward with your coalitions, I encourage you to be intentional with your intersectionality,
not just tokenism.”

“There are some common needs that we all care about and it doesn’t matter who you
are, and that’s where we have to be. But when we’re fighting for those things, we have
to recognize there are some people who have different ideas of what that looks like, and
we have to be open to that,” said Land. Reyes Salinas added that it’s an important priority for Equality California to use its platform to lift the voices of diverse parts of the community.

“We can elevate your coalitions, your storytelling, whatever’s happening, my team can
make sure that that’s elevated to ensure that other people see you as a trusted source,”
he said.

Reyes Salinas added that Equality California offers leadership training programs for
people who want to get experience in politics and running for office.

The Los Angeles Blade is planning more community forums to discuss hot-button
issues as they arise.

Continue Reading

Features

Meet the new co-presidents of the NLGJA LA Chapter

The National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association’s LA Chapter under new leadership

Published

on

Canva graphic by Gisselle Palomera. Photos courtesy of Hansen Bursic and Katie Karl.

An award-winning documentary filmmaker and a news producer make up the dynamic duo who now run the Los Angeles chapter of the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. 

NLGJA is a nationally recognized affinity group meant to unite journalists from dozens of different industries, who identify as members of the LGBTQ community. 

The national chapter recognizes the work and contributions of LGBTQ journalists who work to further the narratives by queer, trans and gender non-conforming people. 

Hansen Bursic, 27, pisces, is one half of the dynamic duo who now run the L.A chapter. 

Katie Karl, 30, gemini, forms the other half. 

Last year, Bursic and Karl took over as interim co-presidents and have been able to grow the local chapter to include a diverse and wide range of voices on the Board of Directors and on the membership list. 

The chapter has hosted a long list of events that include collaborations with other local and national organizations with roots in Los Angeles, such as GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and the Asian American Journalists Association. 

It became the first time in the Los Angeles chapter’s history that there was such a shift in leadership, with two people taking over the leading role. 

“It was just too big of a job for one of us to do, especially in rebuilding. So we decided to get together and come on as co-president’s, which was recommended by the national president, Ken Miguel,” said Karl. 

When it comes to the chapter’s mission, Bursic says it’s a two-fold goal. 

“We want to build a sense of community for queer and trans journalists in Southern California and we also want to advocate for those journalists any chance we get by building the spaces where journalists can meet each other, breaking down barriers and trying to reduce gatekeeping of opportunities for our members so they can thrive and find a place in Southern California newsrooms,” he said. 

Many of the events that are hosted by the NLGJA LA Chapter are free and open to the general public through RSVP. One of the common misconceptions the affinity group faces, is that many people feel as though their work may not directly correspond to the work pursued by current members of the group. However, that is not the case. 

“Together, we really want to make sure that everyone feels included,” said Karl. “I’m in broadcast and Hansen is in documentary and together we really push to make sure that no matter what kind of journalist you are, you know there is a space for you and you feel welcomed.” 

The organization welcomes members and people to attend their public events, who work in industries that are adjacent to the work journalists do and those who might just be creatives with multi-hypenated titles. 

Bursic has a full-time day job in communications for a nonprofit, but his creative work extends far beyond his work in communications. His energy and passion lie in documentary filmmaking. Bursic recently directed and produced “Trans Heaven Pennsylvania” (2024). The 12-minute documentary is about the 2010s in Pennsylvania, where each year, a group of trans women would take over a small American town for a week-long party. The documentary was funded through the Creative Hope Initiative, an incubator for emerging LGBTQ filmmakers sponsored by Traverse32 and Outfest Film Festival. 

The film most recently screened internationally in London, at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. Its next screening will be at the Grandview Theater Drafthouse & Cinema in Columbus, Ohio on May 3rd. 

Bursic has a notable list of accomplishments, including making the 30 under 30 list at Temple University in 2023. He has also been named a DOC NYC Documentary New Leader, has had a spot in the Ford Foundation Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellowship and Sundance Film Festival Press Fellowship.

Karl was born and raised in the Greater Los Angeles area, is a dedicated news producer with extensive experience in live news coverage and team coordination. Currently a freelance writer and producer at KABC, she brings years of experience from her work at stations like KPNX, KHQ and KEYT. 

Karl, says the experience of connecting with the members more, has been really rewarding. 

“Going forward, my goal is to grow the chapter in name and recognition,” said Karl. “I want our [reach to get] across other organizations in other areas of journalism and that’s why I joined the board in the first place.”

Continue Reading

Arts & Entertainment

2025 Best of LGBTQ LA Finalist Voting

Published

on

The 2025 Los Angeles Blade Best of LGBTQ LA Awards are here! You submitted your nominations—now it’s time to vote for the finalists. Voting is open through May 2, 2025.

Among some of your favorite categories are Best Drag Performer, Local Influencer of the Year, Best Happy Hour, Go-Go of the Year, Activist of the Year, Public Official of the Year, Best Musical Artist, Best Non-Profit, Best Bartender, Best DJ, Best Local Podcast, and so many more!

Winners will be revealed at the Best of LGBTQ LA celebration on Thursday, May 22 at The Abbey. Stay tuned for more party details coming soon!

Vote using the form below or by clicking HERE.

Continue Reading

Popular