On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Los Angeles LGBT Center welcomed hundreds of LGBTQ+ youth and their allies for the 34th annual Models of Pride Festival.
Hosted at the Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood, the event featured a full day of community-building workshops, entertainment programming, and access to resources. Youth advocate and model Zaya Wade was this year’s headline honoree, accepting the Models of Pride Award for her advocacy on behalf of trans, gender-expansive, and nonbinary youth.
“Representation is integration. Getting to see people in spaces you want to be in pushes you forward,” Wade said on stage at the event. “And sometimes, if that representation isn’t there, knowing you might be the representation for someone else keeps you going. It’s about inspiring the younger generation so everyone can feel the love we deserve.”
In 2024, Wade launched Translatable alongside her father Dwyane Wade. The platform is a digital hub for LGBTQ+ youth and their families, offering links to resources and a safe space for youth to express themselves.
Emmy Award-winning creator and internet personality Ruba Wilson (RubasWorld) returned to host the event for the third time, presenting the Artist of Pride Award to the Grammy-nominated artist MNEK and the inaugural Storyteller of Pride Award to digital content creator and media executive Curly Velasquez.
“For more than three decades, Models of Pride has been a place where LGBTQ+ youth can come together, find community, and see the possibilities ahead of them,” said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner. “At a time when LGBTQ+ youth, particularly transgender and nonbinary youth, continue to face attacks on their rights and identities, spaces like Models of Pride are more important than ever. This year’s honorees remind us of the power of living authentically, pursuing our dreams, and creating opportunities for others to do the same. We are proud to celebrate Zaya, MNEK, and Curly alongside the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders.”
Throughout the day, attendees participated in interactive workshops, educational programming, arts and crafts, gaming, karaoke, and a resource, college, and job fair connecting youth with community organizations and opportunities. Programming also featured an interactive makeup workshop led by influencer and beauty creator Freddie Chen.
The event also featured the Parents and Professionals Institute (PPI), offering tailored workshops, discussions, resources, and affinity groups for family members, educators, professionals, and other adult supporters of LGBTQ+ youth. The program provided opportunities for participants to connect, share experiences, and strengthen their ability to support LGBTQ+ youth.
Models of Pride was made possible by our Senior Sponsors Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo and Glamazon L.A.—Amazon’s LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group; Sophomore Sponsor Fabletics; and Freshman sponsors Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Honda, The Automobile Club of Southern California, and GUESS Foundation.
