Braving the chilly winds, hundreds gathered at the Los Angeles Zoo on Thursday, Jan. 4 for the second “L.A. Zoo Lights: Pride Night.” The annual event featured life-size animal light displays, live entertainment, a full bar and plenty of photo opportunities.
The zoo’s second annual event was organized for the first time in collaboration with L.A. Pride, which has hosted LGBTQ+ pride parades and festivals in the area for 50 years.
Raquelle Armendariz, who uses she and they pronouns, attended Pride Night with her 3-year-old daughter as a Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association member. The 39-year-old from Riverside said that their hometown is “really lacking in the Pride department,” and was excited to be attending more events in the L.A. area.
“For the most part, I always go to the parades. Before my daughter was here, I’d go to some of the pride parties. Lately, now I look for more family-friendly stuff,” Armendariz said.
DJ Brynn Taylor — a lesbian DJ who regularly performs at events with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the ACLU and Pride Night at Universal Studios — led a spirited dance party at Treetops Terrace. She said she loves “that everybody in the community gets to come together” for Pride Night.
“I like that I get to be in an environment where you get to be yourself, and encourage and motivate other people to be your best version of yourself,” Taylor said. Pride, she added, has been “life-saving; it’s what gets me up in the morning.”
The 133-acre zoo and botanical garden is “committed to being a safe and welcoming place for all of our communities, including those who visit and work at the zoo,” said Jess Kohring, L.A. Zoo’s curator of community inclusion, in a news release.
“Pride Night is put together as an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ staff, community members, friends, families, and allies to come together in a supportive environment to experience L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow,” Kohring said.
The…
Read the full article here
