BY PAULO MURILLO
RIVERSIDE
INLAND EMPIRE TO HOST FIRST MASS WEDDING FOR PRIDE
Inland Empire will host first Ceremony of Love, a mass wedding event to be held at Riverside’s 2nd annual Inland Empire Pride Festival at the Riverside Convention Center, on September 10th, 2023. The wedding ceremony will be held on the event’s main stage in the Raincross Ballroom and will be officiated by Reverend Troy Kristoffer of Ceremonies of Love. This will be the Inland Empire’s biggest wedding celebration ever,” said Ray Yu, the group’s President, “we’re so proud to host such a historic event at our pride festival this year.” Couples who wish to participate may register at the event website at www.Riverside.lgbt/LoveWins. Registration is free, but suggests a donation to the non-profit charity of Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride in lieu of an officiant fee.
LOS ANGELES
LA LGBT CENTER CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO ARREST OF EMMETT BROCK
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is calling for the suspension and investigation into the arrest of Emmett Brock by a Los Angeles County Sheriff deputy who used violent force to arrest the 24-year-old teacher, who is transgender. According to reports, a deputy tailed him for several blocks before the pair pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot in Whittier. A security camera caught the pair’s encounter. “It has long been clear that Los Angeles needs immediate reforms on police use of force, and that marginalized people bear the brunt of police-related violence,” said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “We demand the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department immediately suspend Deputy Benza and conduct a full and thorough investigation into this incident.”
WEST HOLLYWOOD
ABBEY FOOD & BAR AND THE CHAPEL UP FOR SALE
David Cooley, the founder and owner of The Abbey Food and Bar and The Chapel at the Abbey, has listed both West Hollywood businesses for sale. Less than a week after Lisa Vanderpump’s PUMP Restaurant left West Hollywood, The Abbey WeHo and The Chapel has been listed in Marcus & Millichap of Brandon Michaels Group, a real estate agency based in Encino. The listing of both spaces is described as “a generational purchase opportunity to acquire one of the world’s most iconic nightclubs and restaurants, The Abbey and The Chapel at the Abbey, including its tangible and intangible assets with all branding and branding rights to the businesses, and trophy West Hollywood real estate.”
LONG BEACH
FALCON NORTH TEMPORARILY CLOSED AFTER ARSONIST BURNS DOWN PATIO
Falcon North is closed temporarily after a fire destroyed the patio on Sunday, July 23. The incident occurred in the morning after the gay bar was closed. Owner Michael Barber posted a video on social media showing the destruction of the patio He said nobody was injured. The fire was intentional according to a spokesperson at the Long Beach Fire Department. Security footage shows someone on a bicycle putting some type of accelerant under the Falcon North patio fence, igniting some wood on the patio. It is not yet clear if the bar was targeted for being gay.
SAN DIEGO
PROTESTERS ATTEMPT TO BAN LGBTQ BOOKS AT SAN DIEGO LIBRARY
Two protestors checked out nearly all the LGBTQ related books in the San Diego Library to protest their Pride Month display, claiming that such materials shouldn’t be available to children. The attempted backfired, however, as supporters for the library increased monetary and book donations following reports of the protest. New copies of the checked-out books began to arrive at the library. About 180 people, mostly from San Diego, donated $15,000 to the city’s public library system. The funds, which the city will match, will go toward LGBTQ materials and programming, including drag queen story hours.
