You Can’t Cancel Pride! Enjoy These Virtual Pride Events This June

   2020 Virtual Pride Events to Help With Your FoMo

By Marnie Sloan

Much like everything else during 2020, this year’s Pride events have gone virtual. While in-person pride parades and other parties are loud, proud, and vibrant rainbow-themed events, there is no reason we can’t celebrate the LGBTQ community with as much passion from our own pads. In fact, you can cover more ground by “attending” many events, which isn’t possible to do when going to them in person. Free hugs will have to wait until we get the “all-clear” but, thankfully, some of the biggest cities in the U.S. known for their pride events are still partaking in rousing remote receptions, and we’ve rounded up the best of them and shared the info below.

Washington DC’s Capital Pridemobile Rainbow Blast and Other Events

DC wants to show the country - nay, the world - just how full of pride they are, so they are doing their first-ever Rainbow Blast event to document how their residents, businesses, and neighborhoods display their pride. The Pridemobile will go through all eight wards of the city on June 13, entertaining with bombastic beats from DC-area DJs and performances by local drag kings and queens. Some other events that will happen in Washington D.C. in June are as follows:

• June 1: D.C’s Pride Month is launched with a #StillWePride video montage with messages from local leaders, influencers, businesses, organizations, and sponsors
• June 13: Pridemobile Rainblow Blast
• June 14: Capital Pride Alliance and the D.C. Center launched the first episode of “Pride in the City”—an original web series that highlights local and regional performers and artists.
• June 27: Global Pride Parade 2020—a worldwide virtual event organized by Pride organizations.

Boston Pride Events

When it comes to events that are wicked loud and proud, look no further than Boston. There’s much more to this historic city than beer, baked beans, and their beloved Red Sox. And Bostonians want you to know that just because there is a global pandemic going on, their raucous city won’t back down when it comes to paying homage to the LGBTQ community. Although their huge parade is canceled this year, you are still encouraged to decorate your houses, doors, windows, porches, yards (okay, yahds), cars, and of course your prideful pooches. Tag the Pride movement in your Insta stories at @bostonpride and use the apropos hashtag #wickedproud on Twitter and Facebook. Other Pride events celebrated by the City of Boston during June as designated on bostonpride.org are as follows:

• June 5: Pride flag rises at City Hall Plaza at 12 PM
• June 5: The Boston Public Library hosts Author Talk: Eric Cervini of “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America”
• June 7: The Rick History of LGBTQ Bars in Boston Forum
• June 8: LGBTQ Veterans Tell Their Stories
• June 9: Pride Lights, which commemorates those affected during the HIV/AIDS pandemic
• June 13, Virtual Pride Festival and Concert

Los Angeles Trans Pride Events

Those who’ve attended any Pride events in LA know that the feel-good vibes spread far and wide, so the fact that any in-person events are canceled this year is a bit of a devastating blow. As with the other cities, however, Los Angeles is not planning on letting down the Queer and Trans/Gender Non-Conforming/Non-Binary communities, as they are the heart and soul of The City of Angels. 

The Los Angeles LGBT Center has announced this year’s Trans Pride L.A. will be streamed live for the first time in the festivity’s history. The nation’s oldest and largest celebrations of this community will take place on Friday and Saturday, June 19–20. The 2-day event will offer virtual workshops, panel discussions, a virtual art exhibit, and a VarieTy Show.

Trans Pride L.A. gets started on Friday evening with the Center’s community forum series Big Queer Convo. This year’s special guest is actress, model, and activist Isis King who starred in the Netflix series When They See Us and also competed as the first transgender woman in the reality competition show America’s Next Top Model. The virtual art exhibit is immediately following this event. The workshops, panels, and a virtual Wall of Hope where guests can post messages of love and support continue on that Saturday. 

The full schedule of Trans Pride can be found at www.LALGBTCenter.org/transpride. Whether you’re part of this vibrant community or you’re an ally, make sure to show your support by using the hashtag #TPLA2020 and tagging the Center at @lalgtcenter.com. 

Worried About Coming Out? We Can Help

As anyone in the LGBTQ community will tell you, the moment you come out is one of - if not THE - most pivotal moment in a person’s life…and hopefully in a good way. There are things you can do to prepare to embrace your true self and come out to those you love. Below are 14 tips from the LGBT Resource Center for coming out that will ideally soothe your transition as well as the reactions of those around you: 

1. Be patient with yourself. It’s not necessary to tell everyone at once. Take your time.
2. Don’t push yourself.
3. Start small. It can be easier to start by telling friends than by telling family. Find allies in your family. If you think a brother or sister or cousin will be easier to tell, start there.
4. Develop a support network of friends who are accepting and supportive.
5. Be positive. When you come out to someone, you set the tone.
6. Find resources or get a mentor to talk to.
7. Don’t come out in anger or retaliation.
8. Be patient with others. Some people take longer to digest the information than others.
9. Realize that they may need some time to adjust.
10. Be firm. Identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) or whatever word you use, if you’re sure.
11. Assess the situation. If you’re unsure of your own sexual orientation or gender identity, find someone who can help support you during this time. Be aware that different people will have very different responses. Finding someone who will support you and also allow you to discover your own identity will be very helpful.
12. Ask LGBT friends to share their coming out stories.
13. Refer parents and friends to PFLAG or other resources that might help.
14. Be prepared for different types of reactions.

There are plenty of other ways and other cities that are planning virtual events in order to give the Pride movement the recognition it deserves, so check the Gay Pride Calendar for a remote event of your choosing.

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