West Hollywood will kick off its 2026 Pride season Friday with the fourth annual José Sarria Drag Pageant celebrating Harvey Milk Day and honoring two pioneering LGBTQ+ political trailblazers.
The free event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the South Lawn of West Hollywood Park and will feature a nautical theme inspired in part by the Trump administration’s 2025 decision to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a Navy vessel originally named in honor of Milk’s military service and LGBTQ+ activism.
West Hollywood Drag Laureate Pickle will host the pageant, with judges including Queen Mother Karina Samala, Emperor Eugene Maysky of the Imperial Court and previous pageant winners, according to organizers.
Milk was the third openly gay elected official in the nation and the first in California when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.
He was assassinated the following year, along with Mayor George Moscone, by former Supervisor Dan White, who had resigned from the board 17 days earlier, citing corruption in San Francisco politics and the position’s low pay, and unsuccessfully sought to be appointed by Moscone to fill the vacancy.
In 2009, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation requiring the governor to annually proclaim May 22 as Harvey Milk Day, coinciding with the anniversary of Milk’s birth in 1930.
Harvey Milk Day is among the days designated as having special significance under the Education Code, with “all public schools and educational institutions … encouraged to observe that day … and to conduct suitable commemorative exercises” recognizing Milk’s accomplishments “and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this state.”
West Hollywood officials noted the city became the first municipality in the nation to officially recognize Harvey Milk Day as a holiday when it added the observance to its calendar in 2015.
The pageant will also honor José Sarria, recognized as the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States. Sarria, a drag performer known as “The Widow Norton,” founded the Imperial Court System, one of the nation’s oldest LGBTQ+ organizations. Sarria finished ninth in a field of 34 candidates in a 1961 race for five seats on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, then elected on a citywide basis.
Attendees will also be able to participate in voter registration activities and receive complimentary milk and cookies, organizers said.
The celebration will lead into the city’s WeHo Pride Arts Festival set for Saturday and Sunday at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood, 1125 N. McCadden Place.
More information is available at 2026HarveyMilkDay.eventbrite.com.