At The Beach, Los Angeles (ATBLA) is the organization that promotes and administers the Los Angeles Black gay pride event that occurs every summer. At The Beach is an annual beach party/Pride celebration which exists as the focal point for the black gay pride events, is the largest black gay pride event on the West Coast.[1][2]
At the Beach LA was born out of a small number of friends in Los Angeles, California, in 1988. They understood, as black gay men, that it was common for them to be rejected by the larger black and gay communities. Though the greater black and gay communities mostly refused to include them, these individuals yearned to celebrate and enjoy their identity as black gay men. They hosted a small gathering in Malibu Point Dune beach, several miles away from the LA metropolis, in a place almost hidden from the public. This gathering was a huge success and thus began a movement for black gay pride across the world.
The event, now more commonly known as L.A. Black Pride, is still the most popular and longest running black LGBT event in the western United States. However, the event has seen a noticeable attendance and interest decline in recent years, primarily due to the new great migration of blacks from the West to states more eastward seeking a more affordable cost of living and/or larger presence of black culture.[3][4][5]
