My First Trans Pride Was Not What I Expected

I don't have a very large queer community in L.A., and I have an even smaller trans community. So as Trans Pride L.A. approached, I didn't know if I would attend. I'm a pretty social person, but some crowded events can be alienating if I don't have a group of friends to hang with. I was afraid Trans Pride would be like that. But when The Advocate offered to join me for my first Trans Pride, I had to go.

I honestly had no idea what to expect. A lot of Pride festivals I've been to are really centered on the party vibe, which can be great and necessary, but not always what the community needs, especially just a week after the mass shooting at PULSE in Orlando. The trans community has seen a lot of injustice and trauma and is one of the most under-served populations as a whole, so we're not always in the mood to party. Trans Pride L.A. was far from the typical party scene, it was a carefully curated and well-organized event, with a lot of resources for the trans community to feel seen, heard and cared for.

During the day, I talked with Jill Soloway, Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst from Amazon's Transparent, prison abolitionist and inspiration CeCe McDonald, as well as local trans artists and community organizers. I learned some sweet self-defense moves from Ryka Aoki, the highest ranking transgender judoka in the world. I got assistance with my legal name and gender change from the Transgender Law Center (which I've been way too overwhelmed by to tackle alone), and I was honored to be photographed by the super talented Jen Rosenstein as part of The Transformational Project. It was a jam-packed day full of incredible moments, but what struck me the most was how tender, patient, and respectful everyone was. From the volunteers to the sponsors to the community in general. All too often trans folks are treated as less than human in the world. And so to be able to have interactions and conversations that felt normalized was something very rare and spectacular.

Thanks to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, filmmaker Allison Tate and everyone involved with Trans Pride L.A. for creating these very important spaces for our community. I left feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and truly proud to call this community my own.

Watch Kip attend his first Trans Pride below.

Kip Reinsmith is a producer, director, barber and elf currently living in Los Angeles. Follow him on Instagram.