WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – LA Pride have announced that this year’s LA Pride Grand Marshal will be Alexei Romanoff. A fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Alexei has spent a majority of his life fighting for equality.
On the 47th anniversary of the world’s first permitted LGBTQ+ parade, LA Pride and Christopher Street West, remain where they began, at the intersection of activism and celebration of our diverse community. For decades, the greater Los Angeles community has strived for equality only made possible through the endless efforts of activists like this year’s Grand Marshal, Alexei Romanoff.
In 1967, 50 years ago LGBTQ+ activists assembled in front of Silverlake’s Black Cat tavern to protest numerous incidents of police targeting local gay bars, where use of excessive force was a common occurrence, all hidden under the guise of upholding laws on “public lewdness.” An obvious infringement of human rights, the community had never stood up publicly against these injustices until concerned members of the community like Alexei Romanoff stepped up, organized and protested. Preceding the Stonewall Rebellion by two and a half years, hundreds came together and took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest as a community. What happened next was a series of protests which helped to propel the issue of gay rights in the United States.
Born in the Ukraine, Romanoff immigrated to the United States during War World II, moving to Los Angeles in 1958 where he became an active member of the city’s activist and leather communities. As his level of engagement increased, so did his arrest record for ‘civil disobedience’ in organizing protests against unfair police raids. Romanoff has founded several LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Santa Monica Bay Coalition for Human Rights and the Avatar Club of Los Angeles. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Romanoff also fought long and hard for the funding of research and assistance programs as well as the rights of AIDS victims.
“I have spent a majority of my life fighting for equality and standing up for the unalienable rights of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Romanoff, who will also be very active in this year’s #ResistMarch. “I have marched alongside the community in solidarity ever since the first LA Pride Parade 47 years ago, and will do so as long as I live. “
Romanoff will be featured, along with many other local LGBTQ+ activists, in LA Pride’s 2017 ‘OWN YOUR PRIDE’ marketing campaign, launching today. “This year’s LA Pride experience will be different from what we’ve seen over the past few years,” says Chris Classen, CSW Board President. “So, our campaign needed to be different, too. We are committed to honoring our community’s rich history of activism by encouraging everyone to own their pride this year. Our choice for the 2017 LA Pride Grand Marshal was easy. Alexei is a renowned activist, a champion of human rights, a long-time LA Pride supporter, and our friend. He represents the very best of what our community stands for as well as what it can be.”
While 2017 marks the organization’s 47th anniversary, it also marks a pride season of change. This year, Christopher Street West celebrates the right to demonstrate with #ResistMarch, an all-inclusive march that will take place on June 11th. The march begins at Hollywood & Vine and will work its way through the city, ending at West Hollywood Park where participants can continue celebrating at the LA Pride Festival.
For more information on #ResistMarch, visit resistmarch.org.
Tickets for the LA Pride Festival, where Chromeo and Brandy will be the weekend headliners, are now available for advance purchase. The full schedule of LA Pride Week events to be announced soon. For information on this year’s LA Pride events, visit lapride.org.
I glad the the pride parade is still going. Look I don’t like what people are doing to this community. I get freedom of speech and religion freedom but if you’re only the business you’re going to have a ton of different religions different race sex or entation so you better get used to that because if you only cater to those that are your religion then you put it was going to go out of business, the government and justice system you guys need to keep your religion beliefs out of these two seasons because you cannot force people into your own religion beliefs you need to be bias I think the government needs to be bias you need to represent everybody. Who lives in this country legally. Every time you are discriminated against of the people you forget these people are people they’re just like you even though they need like the same sex it doesn’t matter you need to give these people a lot of respect. If you did that they’ll do the same thing we need to live in this country in harmony you cannot force your religion please down other people especially if they don’t believe in your religion or your moral beliefs.