This post was updated July 13 at 8:49 p.m.
The Westwood Village Improvement Association hosted the first ever Village Pride event in Broxton Plaza on June 28.
With a live DJ, drag queen performers and curated vendors, the event sought to support the LGBTQ+ community, bring people together and benefit businesses in Westwood, said Megan Furey, the director of programs and partnerships for WVIA.
“It’s good to show that we have representation here, that we are an inclusive community, and we’re open to everyone,” Furey said. “We want to make sure that they (the LGBTQ+ community) feel like they can come here and like they’re part of this community too.”
Furey said that there has been a longstanding desire to bring pride events to Westwood and UCLA, adding that the event drew inspiration from Pride pop-ups in Culver City and Santa Monica.
This year’s Pride month celebrations come in the wake of threats to LGBTQ+ rights across the United States. While California law broadly protects people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted funding for nonprofits that support transgender people, signed an executive order blocking minors from receiving gender-affirming care and cut funding to the LGBTQ+ youth suicide hotline.
Visitors to the plaza browsed wares from LGBTQ+ vendors including Bug & Bear’s Cannoli and OKi Accessories. The event also offered free roller skate rentals, flower bouquets and UCLA Health pride tote bags.
Thomas Umu, a rising second-year neuroscience student who attended Village Pride, said the event was a comforting space, adding that he appreciated how it highlighted queer vendors.
“I’m glad everybody else is here being able to get the names of their businesses out there, because I would have never known that any of these businesses existed had it not been for this event,” he said.
Bug & Bear’s Cannoli served rainbow pride-themed cannolis at the event. Matthew Wilson, the business’s co-founder, said the business began when his now-fiancé, Joe Serpico, shared his great-grandmother’s cannoli recipe with him.
Wilson added that Pride month has brought opportunities for their business to serve their food at community and private events.
“Aside from our own identity and who we are, we feel connected to it, and so it’s hard for that to not come out in our product, and we have our pride cannoli, but we really want to support and broadcast inclusion and togetherness with what we do,” Wilson said.
Nari Lee’s business, OKi Accessories, sold bright and colorful jewelry that doubled as fidget accessories – which can help with sensory and emotional regulation – at the event. She said her handmade designs and bright colors discretely assist with mental health, bridging multiple identities.
“I just love being around fellow LGBTQ partners or allies or whatnot and just coming together and meeting other people in the queer community that are shopping around and listening to their story,” Lee said.
The Pop-Up Shoppes founder Sergio Bindel, who curated vendors for the event, said Village Pride was a great show of support for queer and small business owners.
Bindel’s connection to Westwood formed through a holiday event for the W Hotel in November 2022. To highlight queer small businesses, Bindel tapped into a network of almost 1,000 vendors from the Southern California region.
“This really shows the community that there is a strong, there’s a lot of queer owned small businesses in our community,” Bindel said. “To see them all together on one street really shows just how diverse our community is and how we can come together and put something beautiful together and that there is support here.”
For drag queen Annie Biotixx, joy was “palpable” as she watched attendees roller skate and enjoy cannoli. She added that events such as Village Pride showcase how the Los Angeles queer community sticks together.
“Any time that queer people can get together and celebrate one another, have community and just have fun and live our lives is very important, especially in this time right now that we’re living in,” Annie Biotixx said. “I think this is the first Westwood Pride, correct? That’s legendary. I’m happy to be here for the first one.”
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