Pride will march down Santa Monica Boulevard during the debut of West Hollywood’s Pride parade on June 5. (photo by Jon Viscott)

June 3 marks the first day of the first West Hollywood Pride weekend, dubbed #WeHoPride. On May 26, the city announced that Janelle Monáe will serve as the Grand Marshall Icon and JoJo Siwa as the Next Gen Icon at the June 5 Pride parade, which will step off at noon from the intersection of Santa Monica and Crescent Heights boulevards.

“The city of West Hollywood is thrilled to be producing #WeHoPride for our community this year,” Mayor Lauren Meister said. “And our amazing icons, Janelle Monáe and JoJo Siwa, truly reflect the core values of our city.”

Monáe is known for her work as a singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, author and actor, with eight Grammy nominations to her credit, film roles in “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight,” as well the New York Times bestselling book “The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer.” Monáe also has her own non-profit, Fem the Future, and will soon appear as trailblazing dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker in “Da La Resistance.”

Siwa is also a bestselling author, in addition to being a singer, entrepreneur, film and television star. Currently appearing as a judge for “So You Think You Can Dance,” Siwa has amassed more than 66 million social media followers and 3.7 billion views on her YouTube account. Named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2020, Siwa came out as gay in 2021.

The weekend marks the city’s break from Christopher Street West, the organization producing Los Angeles Pride. While L.A.’s own Pride weekend will commence on June 10, it will not include any official association with the city of West Hollywood, which had previously hosted L.A. Pride annually since 1979. The move was set to take place in 2021, before the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. Not long after Christopher Street West sent the West Hollywood City Council a letter announcing its intent to move its Pride activities and parade to Hollywood, the city confirmed its own, separate event.

City leaders believe organizing its own Pride will be special in a new, different and more inclusive way. The theme for the event is “with liberty, diversity, inclusion and progress for all.”

“West Hollywood’s Pride celebration is homegrown while welcoming people from around the world,” Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath said. “We will honor two legends in the making, Janelle Monae and Jojo Siwa, who represent the intersectional future of the LGBTQ equality movement. And we are literally shutting down the streets to have community-forward representation from local nonprofits and businesses.”

“I’m most looking forward to the WeHo Pride Parade and seeing everyone lined up along Santa Monica Boulevard happy, cheerful and celebrating Pride,” Councilman John Erickson said.

“I think what will separate WeHo Pride from other Prides is the diversity of our programming,” Meister added.

“I am particularly happy that we moved the Dyke March to the Rainbow district and are having a lot more queer women’s and gender expansive events throughout Pride such as the Women’s Freedom Festival, the CherryBomb Queer women’s takeover of Hotel Ziggy, among other events,” Mayor Pro Tempore Sepi Shyne said. “I am also excited to have free parts of Pride for the community and bringing back Sizzle and the other events happening throughout the month.”

The epicenter of activity will be West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Blvd. It will include the free WeHo Pride Street Fair, which the city notes will have “a diverse array of LGBTQ+ community groups as part of visibility, expression and celebration.”

The Dyke March and Women’s Freedom Festival will be held at 5 p.m. on June 3, beginning at the corner of Robertson and Santa Monica boulevards, with the festival hitting the WeHo Pride Street Fair main stage afterwards.

The event company JJLA will produce “OUTLOUD: Raising Voices,” which will also hit the stage with a number of big-name music artists, including Mariana, Lil’Kim, Jessie J, Years & Years, Muna and Jake Wesley Rogers. Hannah Rad, Ryan Mitchell, Shar Jossell, Arisce, Billy Francessa and Tina Burner will serve as hosts. A full calendar of events is available at pride.weho.org.

Alex Mohajer, president of the Stonewall Democratic Club, likened the Pride events as a stark reminder of what is at stake for marginalized people in the June 7 Primary Election.

“The first Pride was a riot,” Mohajer said, referring to the June 1969 Stonewall Riots that marked the beginning of the Gay Rights movement. “It’s important to remember that as we celebrate self-affirmation and dignity, however, the fight for LGBTQ+ equality continues, that our community is under unprecedented attack. In the recently leaked draft SCOTUS decision that overturns Roe v. Wade, the court expressly targets marriage equality. Meanwhile, hundreds of bills have been passed by Republican state legislatures targeting the transgender community across the country in the last 18 months alone. These stark changes in the outlook for our communities require us to meet this moment, to bond together as a community, and overcome these challenges on our hard-fought rights by voting for candidates that see us as equals in the fabric of the American story.”

Erickson pointed out the significance of the city’s reputation as LGBTQ+ safe haven.

“Wherever you are and however you celebrate, know that West Hollywood celebrates Pride 365 days a year and will always be a city to cherish and uplift your story and love you no matter what,” Erickson said.