400,000 Expected To Attend Pride Parade In WeHo Sunday
WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — The LA Pride Parade, celebrating the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, will be held along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood Sunday, with organizers expecting more than 400,000 spectators and participants.
Singer Demi Lovato is the parade's grand marshal.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Crescent Heights Boulevard, and continue west along Santa Monica Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard.
In connection with LA Pride's efforts at reducing hate and ignorance toward the transgender community, the parade's traditional moment of silence at noon will be dedicated to members of the community killed in hate crimes, according to Steve Ganzell, a board co-president of Christopher Street West, the event's producer.
The couples who were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that overturned California's ban on same-sex marriage, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo and Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, will be the community grand marshals.
"The LA Pride Parade is based on celebrating the LGBT community and the people and organizations that have helped make progress in terms of equality," parade chair Tom Pardoe said.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, Assembly Speaker Emeritus John A Perez (D-Los Angeles), and Sen. Ted Lieu ( D-Torrance), will also be among the participants in the parade, which will have 130 entries.
Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from Fairfax Avenue to Doheny Drive; Crescent Heights Boulevard from Romaine Street
to Fountain Avenue; and streets one block north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard from Fairfax Avenue to La Peer Drive from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Parking is available for $20 at structures at 8383 Santa Monica Blvd. and 901 Hancock Ave.
Metered parking will not be enforced during the day Sunday while enforcement of permit parking in West Hollywood will be suspended until 7 a.m. Monday.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)