5 Highlights from Celebrating LA Pride With TikTok
By: Michelle
Earlier this month, TikTok was the presenting sponsor of LA Pride. They brought together 2022 LGBTQ+ TikTok Trailblazers for the first time, hosting a weekend of fun events. As part of the celebration, I flew to Los Angeles to be a part of the action with the TikTok team and the LGBTQ+ community!
From beginning to end, I helped manage a media breakfast, attended the unveiling of TikTok's beautiful installation at LA Historic Park, and walked alongside TikTok’s first-ever Pride parade float. Before I dive into a few of my favorite moments and snapshots from the event, I’d love to give a shoutout to the rockstar Cutline team that helped make these events a success: Vineetha, Courtney, Shannon, Sophia, and Maria.
Now let’s get to a few of my favorite highlights!
Hosting the TikTok Trailblazers press breakfast
We kicked off the weekend with a TikTok Trailblazers press breakfast on Saturday morning, inviting media to meet with the Trailblazers and learn more about TikTok’s presence at LA Pride. Creating this intimate event was special because it allowed the 2022 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers to come together in-person to share their creator journeys, discuss the Trailblazer experience at LA Pride, and talk about how they’ve built a community on TikTok.
This was also an opportunity to celebrate the people driving culture, influence, and inspiration across the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
Installation Unveil at LA Historic Park
Following the breakfast, we drove to the LA Historic Park to unveil the bright, colorful, TikTok sculpture. The installation had everything from a glam bar to a vibrant TikTok-themed video booth for attendees to have a catwalk video moment—matched with TikTok effects.
Marching alongside TikTok’s first-ever float at the LA Pride Parade
On Sunday, I marched alongside the TikTok float during the Pride parade while helping the Trailblazers capture social content. ABC LA tweeted a pic of me walking with the float and unfortunately, I wasn’t camera ready! But, as Doja Cat says, “All of my bad pics be my best one,” so I’m going to manifest that for this image.
One of my favorite moments during the parade was hearing the crowd cheer loudly when they saw their favorite TikTok Trailblazers! My sister was star-struck when she saw Austin Cho (@asianchipskylark) on the float. She captured her reaction on camera as she filmed a selfie of him saying hello and waving. She couldn’t stop shaking with joy, and was even more excited to see that he reposted her Instagram story!
Snapping photos with Paula Abdul
After the parade, my dad (a car fanatic) couldn’t take his eyes off a shiny convertible parked on the street. It was a Porsche 9/11, and the car had a sign that read ‘Paula Abdul’. When he looked up at the woman sitting in the car wearing a beautiful white dress, he told my sister and me that it was THE Paula Abdul!
On American Idol, they say “You’re going to Hollywood!”, so we couldn't resist asking for a picture with the American Idol judge IN Hollywood.
Meeting the TikTok team in person!
Last (but certainly not least), my favorite part of the event was meeting a few members of the TikTok team in person for the first time. We shared a lot of laughs, hustle, and cheer. But most of all, we were able to host a series of meaningful events to champion and celebrate the local LBGTQ+ community. This Pride event was one for the books!
Here’s to uplifting LGBTQ+ voices, celebrating the LGBTQ+ culture, and supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Happy Pride!