Organizers of the LA Pride parade have turned it into a music festival to attract more millennials and are now facing serious flak for it.
The LA Pride has been stressing public awareness of LGBTQ people and their contributions to society since years. Considered an important social and cultural movement, the recent changes by the organizers have displeased many. In what seems like a bid to make the event more relatable to millennials, the word “music” has now been added to the title.
Courtesy : welikela.com
People are arguing that this is sullying the actual point of the movement to force inclusiveness. “Adding the word ‘music’ to the title of L.A. Pride is a subtle welcome to a younger generation who does not inherently understand the historical context of the event,” said Chris Classen, president of Christopher Street West Association, an LGBT non-profit human rights organization within the Greater Los Angeles area.
With a greater focus on music, there have to be tickets which cost a whopping $35. Despite such low prices speakers at a recent public meeting expressed outrage at CSW trying to remain relevant. Some of the detractors went as far as to say that the event was being transformed into a gay Coachella. Though music was always part of the previous Prides, they were always the backdrop of a much larger social struggle. With the increasing acceptance of LGBTQs in society, the organization feels that their relevance has diminished resulting in such a move. This could in some ways be considered a victory but only time will tell us if people would be willing to accept such a shift.