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COVID-19 / Events / LGBTQ

Philly Pride has been canceled but here’s how you can still celebrate at home

The annual parade and celebration of the LGBTQ community is going partially virtual in the face of COVID-19.

A past Philly Pride festival. (Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia)
Update: Details about Mazzoni Center's planned events have been added. (6/9/20, 2:48 p.m.)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and amid social unrest, the annual Philly Pride celebration has been canceled for this coming weekend. But there are still ways to enjoy Pride programming from home.

6ABC will air Pride programming on TV and online on June 14 beginning at 1 p.m., and the National Liberty Museum will feature various virtual LGBTQ events July 15 through 19 such as burlesque shows and artist spotlights.

Black drag queen champion VinChelle will be broadcasting a show on Facebook Live on Saturday, June 13, and donating some of the tips to the Black Lives Matter movement. VinChelle told Billy Penn she is mindful of the racism that Black people have faced in Philly’s queer community and made sure Black people were represented in her pride show by booking two dozen Black drag queens, kings and nonbinary performers.

On Tuesday afternoon, LGBTQ health center Mazzoni Center announced its plans for a digital storytelling campaign for its social media channels, to run from June 15 through June 30, as well as a “Pulse Remembrance” Zoom event on June 12 and free behavioral health screenings on June 12 and 15. More details to be announced.

Other LGBTQ organizations in coalition with international association of Pride organizers, Interpride, are also planning different types of virtual celebrations, including the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, which organizers the Allentown Pride celebration, according to Philadelphia Gay News.

And LGBTQ organizations worldwide have agreed to participate in Global Pride 2020, a virtual celebration event scheduled for Saturday, June 27. LGBTQ speakers and entertainers from almost 60 regions worldwide will participate in the livestreamed event.

While Philly Pride festivities are confined to digital access, organizers plan for the October 11 LGBTQ celebration Outfest to still be an in-person affair. Philly Pride Presents Executive Director Franny Price told Technical.ly that all virtual Pride programming will be available to viewers for free.

Michael Butler is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
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