Long Beach Pride festival collapsed hours before opening—then the blame game started

One of California’s largest and most storied Pride celebrations unraveled in spectacular public fashion this weekend after the City of Long Beach abruptly canceled the annual Long Beach Pride Festival just hours before it was set to begin, igniting a bitter and public feud between city officials and LGBTQ+ organizers over safety, politics, and the future of Pride itself.The collapse of the festival in one of the country’s most LGBTQ-friendly cities stunned community members across Southern California and quickly escalated beyond a logistical dispute into a fight over who gets to define and steward queer civic life at a moment when LGBTQ+ communities nationwide already feel politically cornered.Long Beach officials announced Friday evening that the three-day Pride Festival would not be permitted to proceed because organizers allegedly failed to provide the critical safety and operational documentation required for approval. The decision came less than an hour before Teen Pride festivities were scheduled to begin.The city-backed Pride parade, however, will continue Sunday as planned.For decades, Long Beach Pride has stood as one of the crown jewels of the national Pride calendar, drawing hundreds of thousands of attendees annually and serving as both a political gathering space and an economic engine for queer businesses, artists, and nonprofits.Then came the public blame campaign.Related: ‘Gayest’ Congressman Robert Garcia & Maine Gov. Janet Mills target Trump at LGBTQ+ leadership conferenceIn a statement posted late Friday, Long Beach Pride President Tonya Martin, who goes by “Lez Prez,” accused city leaders of abandoning LGBTQ+ residents during a dangerous political moment for queer Americans.“Long Beach Pride is deeply disappointed by the City’s decision to cancel the Long Beach Pride Festival, a long-standing community institution built by volunteers, sustained by love, and rooted in the belief that every person deserves to live openly, safely, an