2006 Christopher Street West puts Love, Equality, and Pride on the agenda

By Ramy Eletreby

What's your agenda? That's the question Christopher Street West (CSW) is asking as another L.A. Pride draws near. Sure, stopping the war in Iraq might be high on the list. Securing same-sex marriage rights is probably another biggie. Of course, there's the standard agenda of going to the gym more, drinking more water, and eating healthier, which are all valid answers. However, CSW takes a more universal and all-encompassing approach to such a loaded question. Their answer? Quite simply: Love. Equality. Pride. So is the theme for the 36th annual Christopher Street West Los Angeles Pride 2006 Festival coming to West Hollywood June 9-11. “To express love as we see fit, to be treated as equals unconditionally and to live our lives with pride, everyday,” says the CSW Web site. It may not be as poetic as last year's theme, “How do you wear your pride?,” but its omnipresence is ultimately more compelling and empowering.

CSW has been bringing Pride to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in L.A. every June since its inception in 1970. In the throes of the gay rights movement, CSW created the first L.A. Pride in celebration of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion on Christopher Street in NYC. A nonprofit service organization, CSW is committed to the goals of human rights, education, outreach, and better understanding within the LGBT community, as well as the heterosexual community, in greater L.A. Hosted by the independent City of West Hollywood since 1979, CSW is the second largest Pride event on the West Coast (after San Francisco). Last year's event attracted an estimated crowd of nearly half a million and is becoming larger every year.

Like every L.A. Pride, an abundance of skin, colorful costumes, music, food, and drinks (all with extravagant style), is expected over the course of three summery days where the parties are wild, the benefits are plentiful, and the air is proud. The festival itself will take place in West Hollywood Park near Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards from noon-11 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sunday, June 11. A wide array of festival pavilions include the Children's Garden, Erotic City, Oasis of Pride (substance free), Peer Party, Latin, R&B, Country, Dance, and the always-popular Main Stage concerts. The centerpiece of the weekend, the parade, begins Sunday at 11 a.m. along Santa Monica Boulevard from Crescent Heights to Robertson. A series of parade awards, such as most imaginatively decorated and colorful float and best decorated vehicle that captures the theme of Pride will be handed out with cash prizes.

So what or who can we expect to grace the main stage over the weekend? The CSW organizers know not to mess with a good thing, so once again, L.A. Pride will welcome power acts of the 1980s to perform the hits that made them huge 20 years ago and well-remembered today. The Bangles, Berlin, and Taylor Dayne are among the performers associated with “the me decade” set to spark the warm pre-summer nights ablaze.

On Saturday, June 10, before the Bangles take the stage at 10 p.m. to perform as many of their many hits as they can fit into a one-hour set, Pride-goers should gather at the main stage early to watch some of the greatest music icons to ever hit the gay clubs. R&B vocalist (and frequent Madonna back-up singer) Niki Harris will show you what she looks like without the Queen writhing in front of her. Then ‘90s dance club megastar CeCe Peniston will take the stage to no doubt perform her 1992 hit "Finally" (one of the biggest dance singles of all time, selling 3 million singles worldwide). At this point, the gays will be in a frenzy which will only escalate when ‘70s disco queen Thelma Houston comes out to perform her 1977 hit, "Don't Leave Me This Way,” which many consider to be one of the major songs to come out of the disco era. Then, as tradition calls for at Pride, the night ends with an ode to the ‘80s with Animotion ("Obsession") and a one-hour set from the Bangles, basically ensuring a "manic" Saturday night.

Sunday, June 11, promises to be just as thrilling with the ‘80s still taking center stage. Pride-goers better make sure that there's plenty of candy available when Bow Wow Wow takes the stage before letting Berlin take the audience's breath away. After Terri Nunn finishes riding the metro, Taylor Dayne (“Love Will Lead You Back”) is sure to knock out a powerful, soulful ballad or two. Sunday's main stage acts will draw to a close with Brit pop star Billie Myers (“Kiss the Rain”) bidding “cheerio” to yet another successful, world-class L.A. Pride.

Of course, CSW's L.A. Pride features much more than the main stage. A series of dance pavilions will be bumpin' all weekend. Hard-driving sets are guaranteed in the Dance Pavilion with Heather Vaughn, Scotty K, Eddie X, and Casey Alva all on the bill. The Latin Carnivale Pavilion will showcase DJs Eddie, Jorge, Eduardo, and Mike. Spinderella, DJ Fodeemac, and DJ Ben are among the major headliners in the R&B Dance Pavilion, and for the gays with a twang in their tongue and a hitch in their git-along, the Country Pavilion will showcase line dancing, two-step lessons, a Tush Push contest, and the L.A. Wranglers, among other country acts.

And what would Pride be without parties? The weekend will open with a night so entertaining, raucous, and even sacred when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence hold their Nun Party on the “Back Lot” of L.A. Pride on Friday, June 9, from 7:30 p.m.-midnight. Over 100 nuns (known as Conclave 666) from the worldwide Order of Perpetual Indulgence will be heading to L.A. for Pride week for a series of community events. The Nun Party will serve to benefit three gay youth charities: the Trevor Project, CityX1, and the Gay & Lesbian Center Youth Project. For more information, see www.lasisters.org.

The 2006 Christopher Street West Los Angeles Pride happens Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 in West Hollywood. For more information or to purchase tickets, see www.lapride.org.