Celebrating Venice Pride

June 9, 2017

Disclaimer: This post is reflective of our company while under the name Pledgeling and the listed information may be outdated. Please refer to our main company website on Pledge for current information and resources.

Our June #GratefulHour was one for the books, as we celebrated the kickoff of Global Pride Month by supporting our local chapter, Venice Pride. Guests snacked on Hawaiian fare and noshed on rainbow donuts (the event also happened to fall on #NationalDonutDay, so we couldn’t resist!) while enjoying adult beverages on our rooftop.

Our beneficiary organization, Venice Pride, celebrates the unity of West LA’s LGBTQ+ community, its friends, and supporters. Through annual events and ongoing outreach, Venice Pride inspires, commemorates and supports diversity with the unique and eclectic spirit that embodies Venice Beach, California.

Venice Pride was founded in Spring 2016 when the LGBTQ+ community’s longtime sanctuary, The Roosterfish, closed due to rising rents on Abbot Kinney. Mourning their loss, the community banded together to host the first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration in Venice history.

On June 3, 2016 thousands gathered for the free Venice Pride Sign Lighting & Block Party on Windward Ave. Organizers honored 17-year-old trans youth advocate Shéár Avory with the Pioneer of the Year Award for their activism. DJ Victor Rodriguez provided the beats while L.A. City Council Member Mike Bonin and YouTube Star Gigi Gorgeous helped out by lighting the Venice Sign in rainbow colors.

Starting this year, Venice Pride is also a grant-giving organization. In 2017 the organization will award proceeds from the Celebration of Pride to a mix of local and out-of-state non-profit LGBT organizations.

Our Grateful Hour guests embraced the spirit of love and unity by sporting local brand March Like A Girl’s Love is Love tank and taking Tesla rides to the block party through one of Pledgeling’s partners, Motev.

Overall, with all of the challenges in the world, this was a celebration of love, unity, and equality that our entire community came together to support. We are thrilled to have been a small part of such a big celebration.