Reflecting on 5 Years of Hermosa Beach Pride: A Community United
Izzy Bacallao, Randy Renner, and Katie Vernon at the Hermosa Beach Pride Tower. Photographed by Monica Orozco, Southbay Magazine
This June marks five incredible years of Hermosa Beach Pride, and as we celebrate, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on how far we’ve come—and the powerful community that made it all possible.
We’re honored to share this recent feature from Our South Bay, highlighting the voices of three original Pride participants who helped shape the event into what it is today. From painting rainbow lifeguard towers to building a nonprofit organization, their stories capture the heart of what Pride in Hermosa Beach truly means: visibility, resilience, and the power of coming together.
The article below reflects on how our grassroots celebration evolved into a multiday event supported by families, allies, and local businesses across the South Bay. We invite you to read their perspectives, revisit those early moments, and feel proud of the vibrant LGBTQ+ community and allyship that continues to thrive in Hermosa Beach.
(Original article by South Bay Magazine, shared with permission. Read the original here.)
Q: How did you become involved in Hermosa Pride?
Randy Renner: It all started over coffee at Java Man with a group of passionate locals from Hermosa’s LGBTQ+ community. We were talking about how vibrant and supportive Hermosa is—packed with LGBTQ+ residents and allies—and suddenly it just clicked: Why not bring Pride to Hermosa Beach?
Katie Vernon: I was part of the original group that painted the lifeguard tower. I had just moved to Hermosa Beach and was interested in meeting people. The Pride group was the first of many groups that welcomed me.
Izzy Bacallao: My involvement began shortly after a rainbow lifeguard tower in Long Beach was burned down in an arson attack in 2021. I had been so upset to see something so hateful happen so close to home, and instead of sitting on the anger, I decided to do something about it. I knew very little about getting permission to paint city property rainbow, let alone how to get enough people to help paint it. But as I reached out for support, I learned quickly that I wasn’t alone.
Q: How has it evolved since its inception?
RR: Since day one, we’ve been growing fast and doing our best to learn from prior years and listening to what our members want. We secured all of our nonprofit accreditations, expanded our powerhouse leadership team and evolved into a multiday event every June. On top of that, we’ve added extra meetups throughout the year to keep the energy going and the community connected.
Q: How has the local community come together to show support?
IB: The generosity of this community cannot be overstated. It has been amazing to see how much people and businesses are willing to give—be it time, space, money, quite literally everything—to help Hermosa Pride reach new heights each year. I’ve been especially excited to see so many businesses and groups helping facilitate Pride events outside of June.
RR: The locals show up in full support. Hermosa might be one of the only Pride events where there are just as many allies as LGBTQ+ folks showing up in full force.
The families that walk with us and wave their flags are such a beautiful visual to me. I wish my 10-year-old self would have gotten to see that in small-town Texas.
Q: Why is it important that a smaller community like Hermosa have its own Pride and outreach?
RR: The most common question we have gotten over the years is: Why is it called Hermosa Beach Pride and not South Bay Pride? The reason: Hermosa Beach has shown incredible, unwavering support for the LGBTQ+ community. It’s the gold standard for what true support looks like, and we felt like we could set an example for every town to create a group to socialize, feel welcome and help advocate for our community.
KV: Small towns have a unique sense of community, and Hermosa is no different. Our community is small but strong, and we continue to welcome anyone who enters the city limits and wants to meet with us, socialize, eat and exchange ideas.
Article originally published online by Southbay (oursouthbay.com)
Interviewed by: Darren Elms
Photographed by: Monica Orozco
