Outfest 2016 Red Carpet

Filmmakers from around the world are descending on Los Angeles and West Hollywood July 7-17 for the annual film festival that shares LGBT stories and/or focuses on LGBT talent and the creative community. Reporter Laurie Schenden covers the Outfest 2016 red carpet on opening night for GoWeho.com (video courtesy of her Saving Grace Films).

In the decades since Outfest began, images of LGBT people have become more and more visible in mainstream media. Outfest is acknowledging the recent backlash against LGBT people partly resulting from that visibility, releasing a statement about the increased security measures at each of the venues:

“In light of the horrific tragedy in Orlando, we need this opportunity to come together perhaps more than ever. As in all years, we want Outfest to be fun, but you can’t have fun without being safe, and our team is committed to making sure that everyone’s safety is the number one priority.”

Festival Executive Director Christopher Racster and Director of Programming Lucy Mukerjee-Brown added in a statement: “It’s an election year, and that means powerful forces are out to separate our community from the rest of the world, and even to turn us against each other. Your story, his story, her story, their story – it is all our story. Our collective voice matters.”