Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Announces Tribute to the Orlando Pulse 49

Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Announces Tribute to the Orlando Pulse 49

Thursday, May 4, 2017 – Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride is proud to announce that this year’s pre-parade show will be a tribute to the Orlando 49, featuring two of the Orlando Pulse Survivors, Brian Reagan, and Milan D’Marco. The Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Pre-Parade Show will be held at 9:30 am, on Sunday, May 21st, at the Parade Grand Stand, located on Ocean Boulevard between Junipero Avenue and Cherry Avenue.

The LGBTQ+Q worldwide community was horrified and in dismay, as they became aware of the horrific event that occurred on June 12, 2016, as 49 LGBTQ+Q community members were murdered in a terrorist attack/hate crime inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was both the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter and the deadliest incident of violence against LGBTQ+ people in United States history.

This year Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride will be paying tribute to the lives lost and to honor those that have survived. Joining the event is survivors Brian Reagan, Manager of Pulse Nightclub for the past three years, a LGBTQ+Q activist fighting for equality who is sharing the message of love worldwide, and Milan D’Marco, a dancer/entertainer at Pulse Nightclub for over 3 years. “We are very much honored to join Long Beach Pride™ and the LGBTQ+Q Long Beach community for this special tribute”, said Brian Reagan. “As a survivor, that terrible day has forever changed me as a person. As a member of the international LGBTQ+Q community, I know now more than ever that it is my duty to encourage love in all lives so that we all can heal together to prevent such atrocities against the human race”, continued Mr. Reagan.

In anticipation of the one year mark of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy, onePULSE Foundation is preparing to unveil plans for the creation of a permanent memorial, as well as, the announcement of a national Board of Trustees, and the establishment of a significant fund. Their goal is to create a sanctuary of hope around this tragic day in American history which honors the 49 lives that were taken, the 68 injured victims, and the first responders, as well as, the healthcare professionals who treated them. This fund will support the construction and maintenance of the memorial, community grants to care for the survivors and victims’ families, endowed scholarships for each of the 49 angels and ultimately a museum showcasing the historic artifacts and stories from the event.

The tribute will also include special remarks from Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride, California State Senator Ricardo Lara, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, and Long Beach City Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce. There will be a special performance by Men Alive, an all-male gay chorus that through music, men’s voices unite to entertain, inform, bring healing, joy, friendship and build bridges to the public at large.

About the parade…
The parade day starts off at 8:00 am with the Shoreline Front Runners Pride Run on Junipero Avenue at Ocean Blvd. The run will be along the beach path. At 9:30 am, join the action at Parade Central, on Ocean Blvd, between Junipero and Cherry for the Orlando 49, a tribute in honor of the lives lost and the survivors of the Pulse nightclub last year. At 10:30 am the parade kicks off!

This year’s street closures are along Ocean Boulevard and are as follows:
5:00 am from Redondo to Lindero Avenue. At 7:00 am, from Lindero Avenue to Cherry Avenue and at 8:30 am closures from Cherry Avenue to Alamitos Avenue and around the curve to Broadway.

The 34th Annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event held on May 20th and 21st at Marina Green Park. For more information log onto www.longbeachpride.com or call us at (562) 987-9191.