by jonathan Riggs

It’s that time of year again, folks: the 38th annual Los Angeles LGBT Pride Celebration, produced by Christopher Street West. This year marks the culmination of its three-year theme (“Our Agenda: Love. Equality. Pride.”) by sending a strong message of—yep, you guessed it—taking pride in who and what you are and where you live.

L.A. Pride has long been one of the largest celebrations of its type in the United States, and this year promises to be bigger than ever, with performances by celebrities like Olivia Newton-John, Joss Stone, Frenchie Davis, Kimberley Locke and Shannon, plus many more. Celebrity emcees will include Ami Cusack, Ben Patrick Johnson, Marcellas Reynolds, Billy Masters and Momma.

A notable new aspect will be a “Silent Celebration” during the Parade. At noon on June 8, the Parade will stop and the crowd will be asked to observe a moment of silence to honor all of our loved ones who have passed on, including everyone who has bravely fought for LGBT rights and for a cure—for HIV/AIDS, cancer, etc. The hope is that this historic moment will be observed far beyond Los Angeles and throughout the world.

The Parade will also be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable and streamed online at lapride.org/web

cast, and you can also hit up the site (www.lapride.org) to find out more information, get a Pocket Pride Guide and join the mailing list.

It’s going to be a great time—let’s all go to have fun and to celebrate pride in ourselves, our city and, most importantly, our community!