Cheer LA to Open Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade

The 29th Annual Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade will get some support this Sunday when Cheer Los Angeles raises both pom-poms and funds for the Comprehensive AIDS Resource and Education Program at St. Mary Medical Center.

The cheerleading squad will kick off Sunday at 9:30 a.m at Parade Central in Bixby Park with a spirited dance and stunt routine followed by a money-raising march through the parade at 10 a.m, during which the volunteer team members will cheer on charitable donations by the crowd. 

Cheer LA has collected more than $10,000 for local Long Beach charities. This weekend, their goal is closer to $1,500. 

For more than a decade, Cheer LA has been lending their motivational sport of choreographed cheer to the parade in an effort to raise both money and awareness for issues affecting both the LGBTQ and Long Beach communities.

They will be among hundreds of other organizations taking part in the parade, mostly by float or marching, and thousands of participants. Organizers are expecting a total of 80,000 attendees during the two-day event featuring live music and plenty of pride. 

The first Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade took place in 1984, the same year the Olympics came to Los Angeles, and has continued its mission of philanthropic work in its nearly thirty years of serving the Long Beach community.  

Click here for more information about the pride parade. To learn more about Cheer LA, click here or visit their facebook page.