San Pedro celebrates inaugural Pride at the Port LGBTQ festival
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On a hazy Saturday morning, around 200 people waited to board the Harbor Breeze Cruises’ Sir Winston, heading for a one-way trip from Long Beach to the San Pedro waterfront for the city’s first LGBTQ pride festival, Pride at the Port.
Mona Sutton and her wife Leslie Jones — owners of the Omelette and Waffle Shop breakfast spot in the heart of San Pedro — paced the line, thanking and hugging each and every attendee for being there and their support.
It was fitting that the shuttle would take off from Long Beach, a city that has long prided itself on its celebration of diversity, and trek to San Pedro, a community creating its first such event.
Pride at the Port shares its debut with the month of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, bringing additional poignancy to the day.
The festival was expected to draw as many as 3,000 people to activities that included music, entertainment, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Cher impersonator Chad Michaels and more.
After boarding the ferry, all the worry of rejection, judgment, and other negative emotions faded as like-minded attendees created a welcoming environment for those who fall into or support the LGBTQ community. For some, it was their first public coming-out event.
Before leaving the dock, event organizer — and owner of Sixth Street’s Underground by The LA Barber — Aiden Garcia-Sheffield delivered opening remarks that left attendees cheering as the two-hour voyage to the neighboring port began.
The idea for the event began a little over a year ago through the formation of the nonprofit Bridge Cities Alliance, a partnership of Garcia-Sheffield, Sutton, and Jones. Its aim: uniting the neighboring port communities.
“I’ve worked in San Pedro at [my business] for years and there hasn’t been any queer bars to go to,” said Long Beach resident Anthony Diaz, who operates an American sign-language interpreting business called Interpret That! “So it’s great that a city like Pedro is finally having its first pride event.”
As the ferry made its way through the jetty, attendees who had already arrived cheered from the deck of the retired battleship USS Iowa. It was ironic that the battleship, that has symbolized the defense of freedom in America, would be the first attraction that greeted attendees.
As the day went on, hundreds of people made their way down to the waterfront for a day-long celebration featuring an array of live music performances, food trucks and drag queens.
Local community leaders also showed their support, including City Councilmember Joe Buscaino, who played a key role in assisting the Bridge Cities Alliance with the festival.
Among those who buoyed the event:
- Los Angeles City Councilperson Joe Buscaino;
- Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn;
- US Congressperson Nanette Barragan;
- Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin;
- Los Angeles City Councilperson Mike Bonin;
- And State Assembly member Patrick O’Donnell.
Lisa Kovner, who moved to San Pedro just last year, was proud to be there as an ally for friends and family.
“It’s crazy that in 2019 we still have to continue to fight for equality,” Kovner said. “But I’ll gladly continue to do it for the people I love in my life.”