The Los Angeles City Council on June 3 kicked off its annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month celebration, commonly known as “Pride Month,” in the city of Los Angeles.

Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, one of the city’s three openly gay elected officials, organized the programming, which celebrates the return of the official LA Pride Parade to Hollywood, in addition to spotlighting the community’s unique role in Los Angeles’ queer history and honoring LGBT advocates who are making a lasting impact on L.A.’s culture.

Honorees included Christopher Street West, the organizer of the annual LA Pride Parade; CSW board president Sharon-Franklin Brown; and the Midnight Stroll, an outreach program that focuses on Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ unhoused community and was launched and coordinated by the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team.

“As we welcome Pride back to Hollywood and the 13th Council District, it’s a privilege to recognize and work with so many LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations who have played – and continue to play – an outsized role in Los Angeles and Hollywood’s queer community,” O’Farrell said. “Christopher Street West and APAIT represent the very best of the LGBTQ+ community, embodying our resilience, courage and pride. I’m thankful for their work to advance justice and inclusivity in Hollywood, Los Angeles and beyond.”

“On behalf of Christopher Street West, we are honored to be recognized for our work to uplift Los Angeles’ LGBTQ+ community” Brown said. “We are thrilled to welcome Pride back to Los Angeles this year, as well as its historic home in Hollywood, and can’t wait to celebrate with all of you on June 12.”

“This recognition means everything for APAIT and our outreach providers,” APAIT associate director Jazzmun Crayton said. “Our work to house and move every unhoused individual onto a pathway of wellness will continue and won’t stop until every member is met with love, kindness and acceptance.”

The program also included virtual remarks from Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin, a virtual performance from the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and artwork created by youth artist Nathan Sierra that was commissioned by O’Farrell to amplify this year’s LGBT Heritage Month theme, “Return to Pride.”

As part of the month-long celebration, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs will also produce its official 2022 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide, featuring work by local artists.