Business Journal on Long Beach Pride Going Virtual in 2021

On May 5, 2021, the Long Beach Business Journal looked at how Pride would happen in a second pandemic spring. Reporter Alena Maschke explained that large gatherings were still restricted, so the festival and parade, which the Journal described as the third-largest Pride celebration in the country, could not take place in person for the second year in a row.

Instead of stopping there, the story focused on what our community was building in the meantime. Long Beach Pride was preparing a virtual celebration with archival video from past years, testimonials from people who have attended over the years and performances by local entertainers.

Our president, Elsa Martinez, told the Journal why it mattered to show up in any form we could.

We want to tell our community that we are here and that we want to show our pride.

Elsa Martinez, President of Long Beach Pride, in the Long Beach Business Journal

She was honest, too, that a screen is no substitute for the shoreline. The Journal quoted her saying that everyone wanted to be out and proud and to show their colors, and that the online show was something to look forward to even if it was not the same as being together.

The article also introduced readers to Steve Gillis-Moore, a community member who organized an informal car parade for May 16. Drivers were invited to decorate their cars and follow a loop that started at Cherry Avenue and Broadway, rolled west on Ocean Boulevard and came back by way of Elm Avenue.

I thought it was important to see each other and be seen and to remind ourselves that, even though we’re taking a break from the event, it’s still one worth having.

Steve Gillis-Moore, in the Long Beach Business Journal

That line still gets to us. Pride has always been about being seen, and in 2021 our neighbors found a safe, joyful way to do it. The Business Journal captured both sides of that spring: an organization keeping the celebration alive online, and a community that refused to let the day pass quietly.

We are thankful to the Journal for telling that story, and to everyone who decorated a car, tuned in from home or simply flew a flag that weekend.

Read the full story at Long Beach Business Journal.