Trans Power Took Over Santa Monica Boulevard and We Have the Award to Prove It
The TransLatin@ Coalition showed up, marched loud, and brought home the Best Non-Profit Entry at the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade. Now we're heading to LA Pride, and we want you with us.
There are moments that remind you exactly why this work matters. Sunday, June 7, 2026 was one of them.
Santa Monica Boulevard was electric. Thousands of people lined the streets of West Hollywood, flags waving, music shaking the pavement, voices rising above it all. And right there, among the floats and the dancers and the sea of color, was our familia, The TransLatin@ Coalition, marching under a banner that said everything it needed to say: Trans Power.
The TransLatin@ Coalition marching at the 2026 WeHo Pride
This year has been heavy. We don't have to name everything that's happened, because our community has lived it. The politically motivated attacks on queer, trans, and immigrant people have been relentless, in courtrooms, in classrooms, in policy chambers across the country. But if Sunday proved anything, it's that we don't disappear when things get hard. We show up louder.
Fearless & Free on Santa Monica Blvd
The energy started building well before the noon kickoff, when TLC staff, volunteers, and community members gathered at the corner of Hayworth Ave and Santa Monica Blvd, ready to march the full 1.5-mile route through the heart of WeHo. There were no half-hearted steps on that route. People danced, chanted, and embraced each other through every block, and the crowd met our energy in kind, cheering, clapping, and reaching out for high-fives and hugs all the way to North La Peer Drive.
Bamby Salcedo, CEO and President of The TransLatin@ Coalition, marching at the 2026 WeHo Pride
Our CEO and President, Bamby Salcedo, was present throughout, dancing and moving through the crowd with the kind of grounded, joyful presence that reminds everyone what it looks like to live in your full truth, unapologetically.
What struck us most wasn't one single moment. It was the accumulation of them. The longtime community members who have been marching for decades, side by side with people who were experiencing their very first Pride. The stories shared mid-parade about visibility, belonging, and survival. The reminder that for our TGI community, showing up in public, seen and celebrated, is itself an act of power.
Trans Power Is Not Just a Theme
WeHo Pride draws hundreds of thousands of attendees from across the world every year. It is, without question, one of the largest Pride celebrations anywhere. And in 2026, with our community under sustained attack, being present in that space felt different. More necessary, more urgent, more meaningful than ever.
The TransLatin@ Coalition’s staff marching at the 2026 WeHo Pride
For The TransLatin@ Coalition, Pride has never been just a party. It is a demonstration. It is a declaration. It is our community saying, in the most visible and joyful way possible: we are here, we are not going anywhere, and we refuse to be erased.
This year's theme, Trans Power, wasn't chosen lightly. It speaks to where we are and where we are going. It is a reclamation. A statement of resilience. A love letter to every trans, gender expansive, and intersex person who has ever been told they were too much, too visible, too loud. You are exactly enough, and you deserve to be celebrated.
We Took Home the Award, and It Belongs to All of You
The TransLatin@ Coalition’s float at the 2026 WeHo Pride
Award won by The TransLatin@ Coalition at the 2026 WeHo Pride, for best non-profit entry
After the parade concluded, WeHo Pride held its inaugural WeHo Pride Parade Awards, presented by Tiffany & Co., a new recognition created to honor the creativity, passion, and spirit that define this parade. And The TransLatin@ Coalition walked away with the Best Non-Profit Entry award.
It is a recognition we hold not as an organization, but as a community.
Vice President and COO Maria Roman-Taylorson put it best:
"Congratulations to our entire team and community. This recognition belongs to all of you and reflects the passion, hard work, and pride that made this moment possible."
From everyone at TLC, to every person who marched with us, cheered for us, or held us in your hearts from wherever you were that day: thank you. This is yours.
The March Continues. Join Us for LA Pride on June 14
WeHo was just the beginning. This Sunday, June 14, 2026, we're marching in the LA Pride Parade, and we want you with us. Our visibility is our power, and right now, showing up matters more than ever. Come march with us. Follow us on Instagram @translatinacoalition for the latest.
