by Winston Sanchez
Los Angeles queer youth found community and celebration at Models of Pride on Saturday, an annual event hosted by the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Models of Pride is geared toward LGBTQ+ youth ages 24 and younger for a day packed with entertainment, academic resources and opportunities for self expression. Saturday was the 34th annual event which held workshops, games and activities for queer youth at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood. The Models of Pride event sees more than 1,500 youth in attendance.
Freddie Chen, a YouTuber who hosted “Get Ready with Freddie: Makeup 101” at Models of Pride, said she was excited to give back to queer youth and to offer her younger audience a space where they feel like they can belong.
Journalist Winston Sanchez interviewed Freddie Chen at Models of Pride Saturday. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
Content creator Freddie Chen, right, spoke in a Q&A session with Los Angeles LGBT Center staff writer Reid Nakamura, left, at Models of Pride on Saturday. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
Chen said Models of Pride is an opportunity to connect with other queer people.
“Sometimes we come from families where that is looked down upon and you’re unable to reach that group,” Chen said. “I’ve never been so inspired to pursue a new avenue of my passion which is just helping people live as themselves.”
Special guests within the queer community were honored at the event to acknowledge their impact within the LGBTQ+ community. The 2026 Models of Pride honoree is Zaya Wade, model, activist and founder of Translatable, a safe space and resources hub for LGBTQIA+ youth.
Host RUBA, left, presents Model of Pride Honoree to Zaya Wade. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
Singer and producer MNEK was named the Artist of Pride honoree, and the Storyteller of Pride honoree was awarded to Curly Velasquez, a storyteller, actor and artist. Other guests in attendance were actor Mishel Prada, and drag queens Aiana Shaw, Kyra Jete and Jordan Jayro.
Singer MNEK was named Artist of Pride Honoree at Models of Pride on Saturday at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
Curly Velasquez was named Storyteller of Pride Honoree at Models of Pride on Saturday at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
Honorees and special guests of Models of Pride’s previous years include Trixie Mattel, Bretman Rock, Dylan Mulvaney and Kevin Ninh.
Guests had the chance to visit the many workshops and organizations that had booths throughout the event. Workshops for the youth to enjoy included “Vogueing 101” and “Speed-Friending @ Models of Pride.”
Workshops were also held for parents of LGBTQ+ youth including “Breaking the Ice: Talking to LGBTQ+ Youth about Relationships,” “Understanding Access to Gender Affirming Care for Transgender and Non-Binary Youth in California,” “What Happens Next? Supporting the Parent,” “Relating to Your Queer Child” and “Strengthening Connection.”
Youth in attendance had plenty of resources to explore at the event such as the in-house Rainbow Boutique, a closet space with gender affirming items like make up, clothes, shoes and more to take for free. Other resources included medical help through health organizations who offered information for medication like HRT, PreP and general healthcare for queer folks.
Drag queens posed for a photo at the 34th annual Models of Pride celebration Saturday at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
Models of Pride event director Boone Aguilar expressed his pride in giving back to the community. Aguilar said he previously worked at NBCUniversal on red carpet and profile events, but wanted to put his efforts into someplace more meaningful to him: the queer community.
“At one point, I thought, ‘I could be doing this for our community. I could be doing this to give back to the people,’” Aguilar said. “I didn’t have this when I was young, so giving back was amazing.”
Freddie Chen posed for pictures with fans after her Q&A session Saturday. (Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
For LGBTQ+ youth, events like Models of Pride create opportunities to connect with others, explore available resources and celebrate their identities in a community that welcomes them. Through its workshops, entertainment and community organizations, the annual event continues to provide a space for young people to connect with one another.
(Winston Sanchez / L.A. Times HS Insider)
