Report from June 11, 2006 LGBT Pride Parade in LA
Marching for Equality 37 years after Stonewall

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On Sunday, June 11, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition participated in the 36th annual Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender pride parade. Volunteers met in the A.N.S.W.E.R. office at 8:30 in the morning to pack everything and take it to the parade site. At the corner of Crescent Heights and Fountain in West Hollywood, we decorated the truck that we marched with and also had plenty of time to socialize and have a good time.  

Once the march began our contingent was nearly 40 people strong. We marched down Santa Monica Blvd. chanting "He's racist, sexist, anti-gay; George Bush go away!" and "Same sex marriage and amnesty; we're fighting for equality!" Thousands of bystanders along the way joined in chanting.
 

We distributed thousands of flyers to build for upcoming progressive events. Most importantly, we were able to interject radical politics into what has over the years become a highly commercialized and de-politicized event. Our lead banner read "Equality for all; amnesty for immigrants; same sex marriage rights." Our message promoted working class unity to defeat the right-wing's domestic and international policies of discrimination and imperialism.   

The LGBT community is now facing another attack as the Bush administration tries to stir up anti-gay sentiment on behalf of his right-wing base. At the pride parade, we continued in the struggle towards making same sex marriage a reality in the U.S. We brought a clear political message and even militantly chanted against the right wing bigots that show up every year promoting anti-LGBT violence. Many chanted in demanding that the bigots leave West Hollywood, screaming "Bigots, bigots, bigots got to go!"

The Christopher Street West Pride in West Hollywood continues to be the largest pride celebration in the nation. About 300,000 people attended the parade in LA alone. In contrast, the very first parade in West Hollywood drew approximately 5,000 people. The ongoing struggle for LGBT rights is the leading cause for this growth in participation from all communities at pride celebrations across the U.S. The festival falls during pride month which marks the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion in New York City where the local LGBT community militantly clashed with the institutionally homophobic state apparatus.

Since those days of frequented police raids on LGBT clubs and bars, LGBT people have fought to defeat attack after attack against their community by the U.S. corporate elite. Discrimination has been used as a wedge to divide working people. But the reality is that the LGBT people have always been involved in the struggle in every sector of society.

This reality is reflected in the following excerpt of an open letter signed by 45 leaders and activists in the LGBT rights movement. The activists were stressing the need for unity of all oppressed people: "One reason why it has always been so hard to shift power in this country is because the ruling class has successfully made us believe that there are only a few deserving groups to whom rights can be given. This strategy has always been used to divide oppressed groups from coming together to work in coalition."

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition will continue playing a significant role in fighting for justice and full equality for all. An injury to one is an injury to all! Same sex marriage rights now!

- Report by A.N.S.W.E.R. organizer Carlos Alvarez