Virtual Pride Month: Stay Home and Celebrate

Pride 2020

• Apple's LGBTQ support
• Companies and LGBTQ orgs
• Representation in video games
• Movies still have a long way to go
• Best LGBTQ TV moments
• Inclusive games
• LGBTQ YouTubers
• Steven Universe opened the door
• Best of LGBTQ on Netflix
• PopSocket Pride
• Rewatch the best Pride parades
• Android + Pride t-shirts
• LGBTQ Twitch streamers
• Virtual Pride month from home
• LTGBQ TV & movies on Disney+
• Pride on Amazon Prime Video
• Apple + Pride t-shirts

For LGBTQ+ people, June holds a special place in our hearts and our lives. It's Pride month, 30 days of rainbow extravaganzas, events, and more. Pride in 2020 won't look like it did in years past, thanks to the ongoing pandemic. However, just because we can't assemble in person, doesn't mean that Pride is canceled. Far from it. Instead, this year Pride will be an online experience.

Proudly Resilient from Out: 30 Days of Pride Events

Since there are no in-person Pride events happening, Out Leadership has put together Proudly Resilient. It's a 30-day calendar of virtual pride events. Most events are occurring Monday-Friday and run the gamut from history to panels. They're meant to be a way for folks in the community to come together, even if physically they're all apart. You can view the entire calendar here.

NYC Virtual Pride

One of America's biggest Pride celebrations takes place in New York City. It is where Pride started 50 years ago, after all. This year Pride is going virtual in as many ways as possible. Most of their programming has been canceled, but a handful of events seem to be continuing.

A special broadcast will air on June 28, 2020, from 12:00-2:00 PM EST. It's meant as a way for the LGBTQ+ to celebrate safely from at home. It will mark the 50th anniversary of Pride, as well as saluting front-line workers. You can expect performances from the likes of Janelle Monae, Deborah Cox, and more. There will also be guest appearances like Margaret Cho and Wilson Cruz.

There is also a Virtual 5K for the athletes out. Run a 5K in your local neighborhood between 6/20 and 6/28 to participate. You can get all of the details here and upload photos to Instagram to enter the Runstreet photo contest.

Global Pride

As Pride events have been canceled worldwide, organizers have struggled to figure out how to pivot to virtual celebrations. That's where Global Pride comes in. Spearheaded initially by InterPride, it's a global day of online celebrations from all over the world. On June 27, 2020, you can expect to watch speeches, musical guests, addresses by public figures, and more. It's a 24-hour extravaganza of remote events to bring the LGBTQ+ community together, no matter where you happen to reside.

You can expect a full schedule and more details, including the platform that will stream the festivities, in early June. You can check on more information as events are announced here.

Virtual Pride Near You

While not every city out there has announced a virtual pride event, there are more out there than you may think. A quick Google search for your city + virtual Pride may offer up options you didn't even know existed. Each region, city, state, or country is going to deal with how they celebrate Pride differently. We can't outline all of the virtual events, but they're out there.

With COVID-19, big gatherings aren't safe for anyone. It's a massive bummer that there won't be block parties or new parades to celebrate this June. However, the LGBTQ+ community is nothing if not resilient. Many Pride events have already pivoted to a virtual platform, allowing people to visit more events than they might have been able to in person. It also opens possibilities for disabled folks to join in on the festivities. We can still celebrate Pride, and how far we've come as a community from home where we can keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe from the pandemic.