The annual Gay Pride parade in Los Angeles, the second-largest US city, will be transformed into a protest march for this year’s edition, according to organizers.
“When any American’s rights are under threat, all our rights are threatened,” ResistMarch.org, the nonprofit that is organizing the event, said on its website on Monday.
“We are calling on everyone to peacefully march with us on June 11th… Instead of a Pride Parade meant to celebrate our past progress, we are going to march to ensure all our futures,” it said.
US advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have been vocal opponents of efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to roll back hard-won protections, most recently a reversal of federal protections on bathroom rights.
Many LGBT activists say the White House’s decision to allow states and school districts to decide whether students can access bathrooms of their choice violates civil rights that should be enshrined at the national level.
Fewer than half of all states currently ban restricting access to public accommodations based on gender identity, while four Republican states actively restrict bathroom access or laws that would prohibit such restrictions.
“We’re getting back to our roots,” Brian Pendleton, a ResistMarch.org board member, told The Los Angeles Times.
Some 400,000 people participate each year in what is usually a festive Gay Pride parade in the city.
The first parade was held in 1970, and it has grown to be one of the world’s premier Gay Pride celebrations.
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