KABC to Bring the LA Pride Parade to TV for the First Time

Christopher Street West (CSW) - the 501(c)3 non-profit that produces the annual LA Pride Festival and Parade in West Hollywood presented by Verizon - is excited to announce this year's parade will include organizational and community grand marshals and be presented on television for the first time thanks to an exclusive three-year deal with KABC-TV. Phill Wilson will be the Community Grand Marshal and the Los Angeles LGBT Center will be the Organizational Grand Marshal for LA Pride 2019 on Sunday, June 9, 2019.

As the exclusive television and digital broadcast partner, KABC - Southern California's most-watched television station - will also feature pre-parade coverage throughout Eyewitness News on Sunday morning. Star and executive producer of Disney Channel's "Raven's Home" and proud member of the LGBTQ community, Raven-Symon', will join KABC's Ellen Leyva and Brandi Hitt as they co-host the two-hour live broadcast from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., from parade central at Holloway Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard. Also joining the abc7 team along the parade route will be Eyewitness News reporter Veronica Miracle and OTRC entertainment host, Karl Schmid. A pre-parade preview show will also air Saturday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m.

"We're proud to bring the LA Pride Parade celebration to viewers across Southern California," said Cheryl Fair, president and general manager, KABC. "Our collaboration with LA Pride is a commitment to reflecting and serving the diverse communities that represent our audience."

The Community Grand Marshal, Phill Wilson, is an LA-based activist whose career began after he and his partner were diagnosed with AIDS in the early 1980s. Since moving to Los Angeles, Wilson has served as the director of Policy and Planning for the AIDS Project, AIDS coordinator for Los Angeles, co-chair of the Los Angeles HIV Health Commission, and a member of the HRSA AIDS Advisory Committee. He eventually founded the Black AIDS Institute in 1999 and was appointed to President Obama's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. As the founder of the Black AIDS Institute and prominent African American HIV/AIDS activist, his dedication and countless effort toward ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic bring the community closer to health equity.

"I am honored to be a part of this year's Pride celebration," said LA Pride Community Grand Marshal, Phill Wilson. "The LGBTQI community has come a long way in the last 50 years. It has not been without heartache, pain, sacrifice and growth. I am humbled to be among such a powerful and diverse group of grand marshals. Together we represent how much stronger we are when we celebrate all of what we are."

The Organizational Grand Marshal, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, has supported the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles since 1969; and today provides services and programs for more LGBTQ people than any other organization in the world. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Center is dedicated to building a world where LGBTQ people thrive as healthy, equal and complete members of society; and their passion for equality and inclusion embodies this year's #JUSTUNITE theme.

"It is truly an honor to be one of this year's L.A. Pride Grand Marshals, and we cannot wait to celebrate with our community," said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. "This is the Center's 50th anniversary year and what better way to celebrate all of our community's strength and resilience, power and pride!"

"We are humbled and honored to have Phill Wilson and the Los Angeles LGBT Center serve as the Grand Marshals for LA Pride 2019. Together, these people and the organizations they represent have made an indelible and important mark on the LGBTQ+ community that has improved and enriched the lives of many individuals who have faced so much adversity. Our grand marshals inspire us, empower us and are examples of how to unite our community. We are so excited that KABC is here to increase the awareness of our grand marshals and LA Pride," said Estevan Montemayor, CSW board president.

Ticket sales and proceeds from the LA Pride Festival support and fund the LA Pride Parade and CSW's philanthropic efforts. This includes community-wide programs like Casa del Sol, a joint project with APLA Health that provides low-income housing to people living with HIV/AIDS, and PLATform, a policy, leadership, and advocacy training program to help amplify the voices of the transgender community. Additionally, proceeds benefit the USC GLASS Endowed Scholarship, a grant program awarded to students to help them conduct research affirming the important role the LGBTQ+ community plays in society today. Funds raised will also help CSW prepare for its 50th anniversary in 2020.

To learn more about LA Pride, purchase tickets, get event updates and be added to their email list, please visit lapride.org. Follow all of LA Pride's happenings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Share your LA Pride experiences using #JUSTUNITE.

Christopher Street West engages with JJLA LLC in the event production and management of the LA PRIDE Festival & Parade. For more information on JJLA visit www.jj-la.com. LA Pride is made possible thanks to generous sponsorships from its corporate partners like Verizon and supports from the City of West Hollywood.

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