The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce recently announced that Walk of the Stars Palm Springs will now include a special designation to recognize LGBTQ honorees, a project in partnership with the LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert.
Walk of the Stars Palm Springs, administered by the Chamber of Commerce, is a local walk of fame where the sidewalk is filled with more than 400 stars bearing the names of well-known celebrities and notable local personalities.
The Chamber made the announcement on May 8, and Chamber leaders added that they are thrilled to see the spotlight shine on LGBTQ+ members.
“We are so excited to add this new designation to such an amazing program,” Nona Watson, Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce CEO, said in a press release on the Chamber's website. “It is a great way to recognize these individuals who have contributed so much to make our city like no place else.”
The LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert is a newly formed group whose mission is to document, preserve and share the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the Greater Palm Springs area, the release said. The group was credited with driving the new designation.
Recognizing those who are deserving of being honored by the designation on Walk of the Stars Palm Springs will be a joint effort by the City and the LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert; David Gray and Julie Warren, co-founders and co-directors of the group, said in the release.
The effort aims to expand the special designation and recognize more LGBTQ+ honorees in the future, so Walk of the Stars Palm Springs will use its website and app as a way to acknowledge what the LGBTQ+ community has done for Palm Springs, the release said. A fall launch is anticipated for updated versions of the website and app.
"The endeavor is a significant step to help market the Walk of the Stars Palm Springs to the thousands of LGBTQ+ tourists and locals who visit the area and showcase the importance of these individuals to Palm Springs and the LGBTQ+ community," the release said.