Artists Tourmaline, Chella Man, Roxy Rose Headline Powerful Lineup at Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Trans Pride
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Weekend celebration features Radiance Award honoree Tourmaline, boundary-breaking artists Chella Man and Roxy Rose, and the nation’s longest-running TGI Pride event.
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Program Images Here
Event Images Here
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LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2025 — Trans Pride LA (TPLA) returned for its 26th annual celebration on Saturday, June 14, bringing together hundreds of guests to honor the vibrant and resilient trans gender, nonbinary, and intersex (TGBI+) community. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Center’s Trans*Lounge—an empowerment program serving the gender-expansive community with social connection.
The weekend’s events featured a full slate of programming, including a special keynote and Radiance Award presentation to award-winning author Tourmaline as well as a live Q&A discussion with multidisciplinary artist and activist Chella Man, moderated by program host Arisce Wanzer.
Guests also were able to explore a curated art exhibit featuring the work of neon artist, activist, and instructor Roxy Rose, recipient of the Visionary Award in recognition of her creative contributions and community impact.
In addition, the day’s festivities also included the annual Trans Pride Block Party, as well as the first-ever Trans Pride After Dark—a 2-year anniversary celebration and collaboration with TheyHouse, a Black queer and trans DJ collective. Both events took place entirely at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza and the Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood.
This year’s celebration unfolded against the backdrop of a hostile and escalating political climate for TGNBI+ and LGBTQ+ communities across the country. With hundreds of anti-trans bills introduced in legislation in 2025 alone, Trans Pride LA stood as a radiant act of resistance and resilience. The day was a testament to the enduring strength, creativity, and solidarity of the LGTBQ+ community.
Select quotes from the day’s honorees and stage program are provided for consideration below.
Tourmaline on lessons learned from Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera:
“They looked at the harsh conditions around them, and they used them as launching pads, as springboards, to dream and demand more from the world. They asked each other questions like, What would it be like if we went outside and had a greater sense of power? … They dreamed for years, and they also organized. They were living in such harsh conditions—just like we find ourselves in today—and it was a great relief for them to move from a place of fear to a place of empowerment. Reaching for anger, reaching for righteous rage. That’s what Stonewall was. It was a reclamation of their beauty, their power and their knowing that they deserved more.”
Tourmaline on what young people can learn from queer and trans elders:
“I think we all, whether we are people of faith or not, have that inner voice, that inner space, that inner intuition that we can tune to like a radio dial, that will call us into a deeper sense of knowing of our value. So for young people coming up, I really want to encourage them to trust their feelings, trust their inner guidance, because that has brought us so much community. It’s brought us to events like [Trans Pride LA], where we can gather together and listen and care for each other.”
Chella Man on sharing their journey and carving out spaces for community online:
“When I started posting online, I didn’t expect an audience to kind of sign on and watch. I did it mainly because I was very unorganized at the time, and I wanted to document my journey. What was so beautiful, and I guess serendipitous, is that I kind of just found a community … I grew up in central Pennsylvania—very straight, very all the things that I was not—so to be able to find tangible community, through these intangible virtual spaces allowed me to feel like I had support for once.”
Chella Man on their message to TGNBI+ youth:
“I really, really hope that you all can find joy in every aspect of who you are. Just remember that all of who you are—and all of the things that you are not—are what makes you so specifically unique and beautiful. I hope you can ask yourself, What does Joy look like to me? … I hope you can always think through that lens of love, because I believe that’s what freedom is.”
Roxy Rose on receiving the Trans Pride LA Visionary Award:
“I’m going to call this a participation award, because 15 years ago, I did not want to participate in this life anymore. If it wasn’t for the Center, I wouldn’t be standing here today. … One of the pieces I was going to exhibit today says, ‘Though the light in my eyes may have dimmed, the art of my soul is filled with noble gasses that will burn bright for decades to come.’”
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| About the Los Angeles LGBT Center Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org. |