14 virtual Pride events in NYC this year
Image by gagnonm1993 from Pixabay
2020 marks 50 years since the first NYC Pride March was held, one year after the Stonewall riots. Though the LGBTQIA+ and New York City communities aren’t able to celebrate in the big way that NYC Pride had planned, there will still be a special virtual March, along with many other ways to mark this momentous occasion from home, from panel discussions to a virtual 5K run to rallies and conferences.
Pride Plays
Through June 26; Free
Every Friday in June, Playbill will “present a live-streamed theatrical event from the LGBTQIA+ theatrical canon on its website, as well as features, interviews, and more with the artists.” On Pride Sunday, June 28, the event will culminate in a Pride Spectacular Concert, “featuring community performers sharing messages of pride and singing songs old and new.”
Criminal Queerness Festival
Through Monday, June 29; Free, but some events require reservations
The National Queer Theater and Dixon Place have teamed up with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and NYC Pride to provide “a platform for artists facing censorship, shining a light on critical stories from across the globe.” Bringing together renowned queer playwrights from around the world, the multi-week festival will include readings, panels, workshops, and more.
We’re Still Here: The All-Day Queer Event Celebration
Friday, June 12; Free
Since LGBTQIA+ organizations all over the country have had to cancel their Pride events, this all-day celebration in solidarity will feature “creators from around the world honoring the roots of Pride and the current fight for civil rights.” Events include a queer Latin dance jam, queer trivia, a drag happy hour show, and a living room party from the UK’s Queer House.
ZAP!: A Virtual Tour of Post-Stonewall Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) Actions
Tuesday, June 16, 6:30pm-7:30pm; free
In the immediate aftermath of Stonewall, GAA employed a special “zap” tactic, “a direct, public confrontation with a political figure, institution, or business regarding LGBT liberation, equality, and rights, designed to gain media attention.” The NYC LGBT Sites Project is hosting a virtual tour of these Zap sites, including the April 1970 confrontation of Mayor Lindsay at the Metropolitan Museum and the 1971 engagement party at the New York City Marriage Bureau.
“Love Above All” Auction
Thursday, June 18-Sunday, June 28
Tishman Speyer’s Rainbow Room, the iconic event space on the 65th-floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, will transform its annual “Love Above All” Pride ball celebrating the LGBTQIA+ rights movement into an online auction this year. To benefit the Ali Forney Center, auction items include a signed copy of Lady Gaga’s Chromatica, a wedding for up to 22 guests at 620 Loft & Gardens, John McEnroe’s autographed tennis racket, Bob the Drag Queen’s 2016 DragCon outfit, and more.
Black Queer Town Hall
Friday, June 19-Sunday, June 21; Free
In partnership with GLAAD, NYC Pride is hosting a three-day virtual event to raise funds for black, queer organizations and LGBTQIA+ performers. The event is replacing Pride 2020 Drag Fest and shifting to center on Black queer voices and focus on “pathways to dismantle racism and white supremacy, and demand an end to police brutality.”
Garden Party
Monday, June 22; 6pm; free, but registration is requested
NYC Pride and the LGBT Community Center of New York City are hosting a virtual garden party to kick off Pride Week. There will be performances, stories, and special guests, and the event page will be updated with everything you need for the at-home party like a curated food and cocktail/mocktail menu and a suggested playlist.
Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring
Monday, June 22, 6pm; Free but reservations are required
Village Preservation welcomes professor and author Matthew Burgess, who will discuss his new bok “Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring.” The illustrated book looks at Keith Haring’s devotion to public art and how his work “transformed the New York City underground in the 1980s as an artist and gay activist.”
NYC Pride’s Human Rights Conference
Thursday, June 25, 9:30am-6pm; Free
This one-day conference will bring together activists, artists, educators, journalists, policymakers, students, and others engaged in LGBTQIA+ human rights to participate in panel discussions and workshops focused on mental health, religion/faith, voting rights, youth-driven conversations, and much more. This year’s participants will be announced soon.
50 YEARS of PRIDE: Celebrating New York City’s First Pride March
Thursday, June 25, 6:30pm-7:30pm; free, but advanced registration is required
As the NYC LGBT Sites Project tells us, “On June 28, 1970, to mark the one-year anniversary of Stonewall, thousands joined the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, now known as the Pride March. At the time, it was the largest gathering of LGBT people in one place for a common purpose and greatly contributed to solidifying the significance of Stonewall in LGBT history.” This presentation and Q&A will look back at the planning of this event, as well as those whose behind-the-scenes efforts made it a reality.
NYC Pride virtual rally
Friday, June 26, 5pm-8pm; Free, register here
“LGBTQIA+ rights and human rights are under attack by the current political environment,” reads the event page, and therefore, NYC Pride is hosting a virtual rally “at a time when conversation, education, and activism is needed most.” It will be hosted by Ashlee Marie Preston (the first trans woman to become Editor in Chief of a national publication and the first openly trans person to run for state office in California) and trans actor and LGBTQIA+ advocate Brian Michael Smith. Speakers include Ceyenne Doroshow, Annie Segarra, Edafe Okporo, and Leandro E. Rodriguez Ramos, and performances will be by Michael Blume and more. The event will stream live on Facebook and YouTube.
Runstreet Virtual Pride 5K Art Run
Saturday, June 20-Sunday, June 29; $10
Runstreet Art Runs are curated runs that take place all over the country and bring participants on paths to see the best murals and street art. This year’s virtual Pride 5K asks people to run solo in their best rainbow gear and share their experiences on social media. A portion of ticket sales will benefit the Callen-Lorde LGBTQ Community Center.
NYC Pride Special Broadcast Event
Sunday, June 28, 12pm-2pm; Free
In partnership with ABC7, NYC Pride is bringing its annual Pride March online. This year is the March’s very special 50th-anniversary celebration, and as NYC Pride says, “though it will be a very different type of celebration, the tradition of commemorating the LGBTQIA+ movement will continue.” In addition to saluting frontline workers, this event will honor several leaders in the community as Grand Marshals: Dan Levy, The Ali Forney Center, Yanzi Peng, and Victoria Cruz. It will feature performaces by Janelle Monáe, Deborah Cox, Billy Porter, Luísa Sonza and appearances by Wilson Cruz, Miss Richfield 1981, Margaret Cho, and more.
Literary Pub Crawl: Pride Edition
Monday, June 29, 6:00pm; Free, but reservations are required
This event from Village Preservation will host the GV Literary Pub Crawl for a virtual tour of prominent LGBTQ writers, poets, and artists of Greenwich Village’s history, including James Baldwin, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Hart Crane, Walt Whitman, Allan Ginsberg, Willa Cather, and many more.
