A sense of justice permeated WeHo Pride this year. Just a day after Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts and suffered his long overdue legal comeuppance, pop icon Kesha hit the stage of the OUTLOUD music festival in West Hollywood Park.
“This is my first show as a free motherf***ing woman,” Kesha declared, referencing both her aptly titled new song “Freedom” and her legal victory against music producer Dr. Luke. “Anybody else feeling free as f*** tonight?”
Continuing on this theme, Kesha also amended a line from her millennial party bop “Tik Tok” from “Wake in the morning feeling like P-Diddy” to “F*** P-Diddy” in solidarity with Cassie Ventura and her own legal battle against rap mogul Sean Combs. These flourishes were a vibrant reminder that Pride isn’t just an LGBTQ+ holiday but a fundamentally American holiday.
On June 28, 1969, the NYPD raided the American gay bar Stonewall Inn, and instead of going meekly with the police, these Americans rose up and fought back against their oppressors, continuing a legacy of rebellion that traces back to the colonists. Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P Johnson, and all the other drag queens and street hustlers who rioted at Stonewall aren’t just queer heroes; they are American heroes. And Pride is as much a celebration of the American fighting spirit as the Fourth of July.
For those of you who missed out this weekend, we snatched some of our favorite images of WeHo Pride, the OUTLOUD music festival, and the myriad parties popping off across the gayborhood.
Photography by Mike Ciriaco
