• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • This Year’s AIDS/LifeCycle Participants on Why They Ride
  • Roxane Gay Celebrates Audre Lorde Health Program at WxW: ‘Care in the Truest Sense of the Word’
  • ‘Introspections’: The Los Angeles LGBT Center Celebrates Senior Artists in a Special Exhibition
  • Bridging Communities While Honoring the Diversity of AANHPI Month: Emiko Kenderes’ Journey at the Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Mpox Resurgence: What You Should Know
  • Pamela Anderson Shares Words of Wisdom at Center Gala: ‘Love Relentlessly’
  • Keke Palmer Celebrates Her Queerness, the LGBTQ+ Community at Center Gala
  • An Unstoppable Force: Center CEO Joe Hollendoner Touts Successes in the Face of Adversity
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Equality»Easter Sunday Drag March Draws Thousands to Protest Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation

Easter Sunday Drag March Draws Thousands to Protest Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation

0
By on April 17, 2023 Equality

In 1967, just weeks after undercover police officers violently brutalized and arrested dozens of people for the crime of kissing in public to celebrate the New Year, hundreds of Angelenos came together for a demonstration at the Black Cat Tavern in Silverlake. The peaceful protest, organized by a coalition of LGBTQ+ community groups, made history as one of the first known demonstrations in defense of LGBTQ+ rights.

Demonstrations like the one at the Black Cat Tavern, and the Compton’s Cafeteria riots in San Francisco and the Stonewall Uprising in New York, formed the basis for the LGBTQ+ movement that we know today.

More than 50 years later, a new generation of Angelenos came together on Easter Sunday for a different demonstration with a very similar purpose. Decked out in their Sunday Best, more than 2,500 people gathered in West Hollywood Park to defend the hard-fought gains the LGBTQ+ community has made over the last half-century.

Drag March LA, organized by the Los Angeles LGBT Center with the support of dozens of community partners, was a colorfully defiant response to a new wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country and a celebration of bodily autonomy and free self-expression.

“Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has long been used by police to target queer spaces and violate our rights,” Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner said at the rally. “This is a coordinated effort to demonize queer and trans people and labeled our community as a threat to the public and we will not allow it right we will not allow it.”

In the first three months of 2023 alone, more than 400 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation were introduced or passed across the United States, most of them targeting transgender and gender nonconforming people. Far-right activists and politicians have sought to criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender youth, ban drag performances from public spaces, and erase LGBTQ+ history from schools.

“It is an abomination to see how the LGBTQ+ community is constantly used as a target for hatred because they are failing and they know they’re wrong,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in her address to the crowd. “We are the majority. We will continue to rise up and stand in solidarity.”

Drag March LA was formed to serve as a reminder of the strength of the LGBTQ+ community—and a call to action to continue fighting in defense of LGBTQ+ rights. Participants marched the streets of West Hollywood bearing signs that read “Queer to Slay” and “Drag Is Not a Crime.” Many came dressed in full drag as response to so-called “drag bans” instituted in states like Tennessee and others.

RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Kerri Colby, who delivered an emotional performance of Beyoncé’s “Listen” at the rally, reminded the crowd of the importance of this moment for the trans community and called on everyone to show their support in the voting booth as well.

“I truly believe this is the start of something revolutionary,” she said.

“We’re going to have to keep fighting—maybe for the rest of our lives,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne. “But they can never take away our authenticity. They can never take away our ability to love, or our compassion and freedom. We’ll never give that up.”

Other speakers at the rally included Trans Wellness Center program manager Mariana Marroquin, Jazzmun Crayton of APAIT, Bamby Salcedo of the TransLatin@ Coalition, Tony Hoang of Equality California, and Rev. Keith Mozingo of Founders Metropolitan Community Church blessed the march as their drag persona, Pastor Penny Costal. Fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Honey Davenport performed a show-stopping set that included a dozen local drag artists along with the drag king Twinka Masala. An interactive art installation and resource fair was available on site to connect attendees with local service providers and community organizers. Notable attendees included supermodel Cara Delevigne and drag phenoms Shangela and Alaska.

“Like those who came before us, we are not just fighting for ourselves,” said Hollendoner. “We are here to fight for the generations to come. We owe it to our youth to create a world where they can grow up knowing that they are loved, respected, and valued, no matter who they are or whom they love. And we owe it to our elders—the people who fought for our hard-earned progress—to fight back against these evils when they rear their ugly heads.”

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Vote in the 2022 Midterm Elections!

Los Angeles LGBT Center Congratulates the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson for Making History as the First Black Woman to Be Confirmed to the United States Supreme Court

Celebrating VAWA Reauthorization Act: “It Feels Incredible to be a Part of Such a Historic Achievement”

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

Apr 29
April 29 - June 24

A New Brain

May 13
May 13 - June 12

The Bottoming Process

Jun 16
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Trans Pride LA 2023: Trans Town Hall

Jun 17
12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Trans Pride LA 2023: Festival

View Calendar
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

Los Angeles LGBT Center
Day One of #TransPrideLA officially kicks off with Day One of #TransPrideLA officially kicks off with the #TransTownHall, a forum with many of your faves—like @xosonique, @msisisking, @sharsaysso, @cecetelfer, @ladragnuns, and so many more. Join us on June 16th at 5PM right on our Hollywood campus to celebrate our community and hear more about the fight ahead. Admission is FREE, so RSVP now at lalgbcenter.org/transpride23 (or hit that #linkinbio). 

Special thanks to our partner, @weareangelcity. 

#ProtectTransKids #TransVisibility #NonBinary #TransIsBeautiful #TransRightsAreHumanRights #TransPrideLA #PrideMonth #AngelFC
Introducing: The #TransTownHall, a program curated Introducing: The #TransTownHall, a program curated and hosted by @raquel_willis that’s kicking off this year’s #TransPrideLA! On June 16th at 5PM on our campus in Hollywood, we’ll celebrate and center some incredible voices from the trans community—from @laith_ashley to @tracelysette, @thomaspagemcbee, @cecetelfer, @jordanilan, and many more. 

The Trans Town Hall is just Day One of our annual TPLA celebration, which continues on Saturday, June 17th with a festival, workshops, resource fair, vendors, and so much more. Come for the live entertainment and free goodies—stay for the community. RSVP today at the link in bio!

Special thanks to our partner, @weareangelcity. 

#ProtectTransKids #TransVisibility #NonBinary #TransIsBeautiful #TransRightsAreHumanRights #TransPrideLA #PrideMonth #AngelFC
#TransPrideLA is back, baby—but this year, we’ #TransPrideLA is back, baby—but this year, we’re doing things a little different. We’re kicking off TPLA weekend with the #TransTownHall—a stage program curated and hosted by @raquel_willis that celebrates and elevates trans voices at this crucial time in our movement.

On June 16th in Hollywood, join folks like @peppermint247, @thechrismosier, Montana state representative @zoandbehold, and more for an evening you won’t forget. And let’s take a stand against the anti-trans bullshit, loud and proud. RSVP today at the #linkinbio! 

Special thanks to our partner, @weareangelcity.  #ProtectTransKids #TransVisibility #NonBinary #TransIsBeautiful #TransRightsAreHumanRights #TransPrideLA #PrideMonth #AngelFC
Hello from #RedDressDay on @AIDSLifeCycle! That’ Hello from #RedDressDay on @AIDSLifeCycle! That’s right: On top of our riders making the 545-miles on bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles AND fundraising for HIV/AIDS—they also celebrate with the occasional dress code. (This is an LGBTQ fundraiser, after all.) Red Dress Day is a long beloved tradition in HIV/AIDS fundraising, but our #AIDSLifeCycle participants take it to a whole new level. Swipe to enjoy some of our favorite fashion moments from today…and a particularly compelling cameo from @joe.hollendoner.
They did it, Joe! Our @AIDSLifeCycle riders have o They did it, Joe! Our @AIDSLifeCycle riders have officially passed their halfway point to Los Angeles, biking over 200 miles from San Francisco. At the rest stop, we caught up with @colmacpro, otherwise known as Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2023. Colin is a #roadie on #AIDSLifeCycle, which means he’s volunteering for the week to keep our riders safe and motivated. “I’ve wanted to do ALC for 10 years,” he says. “When I got kicked out of my childhood home for being gay at the age of 15, the last thing my mom said to me was that I’d die of AIDS. I was terrified [of the virus] for most of my life—but now I’ve had partners who are positive. Growing up and seeing the evolution of HIV/AIDS treatment makes me want to help.” 

Colin is rocking his titleholder sash all week as a tribute to the way the Leather Community was impacted by HIV/AIDS. “We were hit so hard during the epidemic. That means the people still left are the ones who carry on the tradition. In fact, some people wear leather pieces from those we lost to the crisis. It’s our way of remembering them.”

Stay tuned for additional updates from the ride—and follow our friends at @aidslifecycle for more.
Last night, a school board meeting in #Glendale tu Last night, a school board meeting in #Glendale turned violent—with police having to issue a shelter-in-place order for participants. The reason? Glendale Unified was voting to recognize June as #LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Today, the Center issued the above statement. “It’s time we call out these attempts for what they are: Fascism. Pride, on the other hand, is about freedom.” Swipe to read it in full. #SafeSchools #LGBTQPride #OutForSafeSchools
The Los Angeles LGBTQties really turned it out for The Los Angeles LGBTQties really turned it out for #WeHoPride this weekend! Swipe to see some of our favorite highlights from the festivities—including one very good boy who believes in gay rights. (And by the way, thanks to any and all of you for rocking your #CenterYourPride swag. It looks good on you!)

📸 @mammothsprite
Mark your calendars for June 16-17 for the return Mark your calendars for June 16-17 for the return of #TransPrideLA, presented by @weareangelcity. This festival has been observed for more than a decade—making it one of the oldest, dedicated celebrations of Transgender Pride in the country. 

The iconic two-day event takes place at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Hollywood campus and features appearances by Montana state @zoandbehold, @raquel_willis, @laith_ashley, and many more! 

RSVP today at link in bio! 

Stay tuned for more details! 🏳️‍⚧️

#transisbeautiful #ProtectTransKids #TransVisibility #NonBinary #TransIsBeautiful #TransRightsAreHumanRights #TransPrideLA #PrideMonth #AngelFC
Happy #Pride to @trinoxadam, the LA-based gay coup Happy #Pride to @trinoxadam, the LA-based gay couple whose photo shoot went viral at the beginning of this month. “Pride, to us, is celebrating and screaming to the world about who you are, with no fucks given,” they told us. “We keep our love alive with honesty and by having different layers to our relationship. We’re homies, friends, family, lovers, husbands, dads, brothers, and besties.” Shoutout to photographer @henryjimenz for capturing their love so beautifully. Want to be featured? Use the #CenterYourPride and you might show up on our page 🥰
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.