Verizon announces two year partnership with LA Pride Festival and Parade as inaugural title sponsor

LOS ANGELES - Today, Verizon announced a partnership with Christopher Street West (CSW), the 501(c)3 non-profit that produces the LA Pride Festival and Parade as the event’s first title sponsor. The two-year partnership, which kicks off this June, enables both Verizon and LA Pride to begin planning a celebration to commemorate Pride50, the upcoming global 50-year anniversary of the first Pride, which was held in Los Angeles in 1970.

As part of the title sponsorship, Verizon will be donating $1 million to Christopher Street West’s efforts to build a diverse, inclusive, and celebratory environment for the entire Southland community and marks the largest contribution LA Pride has ever received. Verizon Media’s HuffPost will be the exclusive media partner of LA Pride with various activations on the ground. This year’s festival programming and LA Pride Concert includes performances by headliners Meghan Trainor and Years & Years as well as Ashanti plus Amara La Negra, Dej Loaf, Greyson Chance, MNEK, Pablo Vittar, and Ah-Mer-Ah-Su, with more to be announced on June 8-9, 2019. 

“Los Angeles is not just home to the world’s first pride, it’s also home to an incredibly diverse community with amazing history,” said Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media. “As we roll out the next generation of product and technology, we are keenly focused on how we enable people to share powerful stories of advocacy, diversity, inclusiveness and compassion - all things that are woven into the fabric of LA Pride.”

“Verizon’s support of LA Pride is setting a new standard for corporate partners and all our diverse programming,” said Estevan Montemayor, President of the CSW Board of Directors. “Verizon is committed to diversity and inclusion, and being a good partner, not just to us but to the entire Southland. They are creating innovative activations, partnering with a diverse array of community organizations, and have been a wonderful partner as we expand into the streets of West Hollywood for the expanded free community block party.”

“At HuffPost, we put people first. We believe in empowering and bringing communities together, elevating voices that too often remain unheard, and helping our readers live their best life," said Lydia Polgreen, Editor-in-Chief of HuffPost. "As the media partner for LA Pride, we will use our platform to explore the history, stories and lives of the LGBTQ community and their allies, not just for the city of Los Angeles, but for our global audience.”

This year’s theme, #JUSTUNITE, makes a simple, yet powerful statement: the work that the LGBTQ+ community does together is ultimately what will make us stronger and more resilient than ever before. 

For more information about LA Pride and to be added to the email list, please visit lapride.org. Follow all LA Pride’s happenings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

More details on Verizon’s footprint and involvement will be released across social media in coming weeks. For more information, please visit lapride.org.