Six prominent members of the LGBTQ+ community share how they’re taking pride festivities to a whole new level at home.
The COVID-19 crisis has meant that the annual international celebration of Pride 2020 is going mostly online. But that isn’t holding the LGBTQ+ community and allies back from celebrating as best they can throughout the month of June.
“I’ll be honest, finding out Pride wasn’t happening this year brought up a lot of emotions,” says Bethany C. Meyers, founder and CEO of the be.come project, a body-neutral fitness organization. “The first was sadness: Pride is always such a magical, fun and celebratory time. But the second was relief: Pride can also be stressful for many LGBTQ+ folk, a constant mental battle of ‘I have too many things to do’ and ‘why don’t I have more to do.’”
But Meyers contends that Pride “isn’t about the parties or the poses. It’s a time to remember the ones we lost, congratulate ourselves for how far we’ve come, remind ourselves of how far there is to go, and experience connection with the community—and while it’s sad to not be able to do that in person, it’s also possible to do this remotely.”
“Our community is no stranger to overcoming obstacles.”
“The current situation we’re in is forcing us all to have to rethink and regroup our efforts,” agrees Harper Watters, a soloist for the Houston Ballet. “But our community is no stranger to overcoming obstacles; we’re known for continuing the fight and doing it fabulously.”
Below, Meyers, Watters, and a few other prominent members of the LGBTQ+ community share suggestions for how to make the most of Pride celebrations from home this year.
1. Define What Pride Means to You
“Pride is as much about appreciation and recognition as it is about celebration, and we look forward to incorporating extra mindfulness into our Pride celebration this year,” say Ariana Offray and Hannah Glover, two artists and advocates currently based in Palm Springs. “We are so appreciative of our health this Pride, and for the space we have found for ourselves, in a historically queer city no less!”
“I think that this year is truly an opportunity for folks to explore what Pride means to them and reimagine how they want to celebrate their own journey and the journey of our LGBTQ+ ancestors that have paved the way,” says Christopher Griffin, known as @plantkween on Instagram. “Sit with yourself and define what Pride really means to you. If it means celebrating your own journey, then treat yourself—you deserve it! If it means supporting amazing national and local LGBTQ+ organizations, then donate if you can.”
Griffin contends that there are so many ways to celebrate pride. “The experience of Pride is special, precious, and unique to each person,” he says. “So let your rainbow and pride shine in all the ways you want it to.”
2. Support LGBTQ+ Work
“Share a book, dance to a song, make a recipe,” says Harper Waters. “Whether you know them personally or not, any way to uplift and support the work of someone living the LGBTQ+ experience, you are taking part in activism and helping to achieve our goals of equality and inclusivity.”
“With all this free time, I’ve been tackling the pile of books in my corner,” says Brandon Osorio, photographer, model, and videographer from New York. “I’ve been trying to read more novels by LGBTQ+ authors (currently reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin) to better understand how ‘gay’ and ‘queer’ identities have been experienced by others.”
Osorio also suggests making a Pride playlist: “The pop idols are still giving us summer bops, so don’t let them go to waste. Lady Gaga would not be happy.”
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3. Find Ways to Boost Visibility Online
“Pride can be expressed in so many creative ways,” say Ariana and Hannah Angelino. “As visual artists, we want to do Pride-themed paint-and-sip date nights, rainbow photo shoots, and any other creative activities that incorporate the spirit of Pride. We can’t wait to virtually include our friends, loved ones, and social media following as we celebrate this year.”
Even if you don’t have a social media following, sharing what books you read, music you’re listening to, and what organizations you are donating to with friends and family goes a long way. There are also plenty of virtual programs from organizations around the globe that you can encourage your loved ones to participate in: “I’ll be participating in Stonewall Day this year,” says Bethany C. Meyers. “They have an incredible line up with an online platform, so you can play along from home.”
Find Out How You Can Celebrate Pride Online→
4. Donate To Your Favorite LGBTQ+ Cause
“I’ve been saving a lot of money during quarantine, a silver lining I guess,” says Brandon Osorio. “There are so many organizations still doing hard work during this time, but they can’t achieve it without the help of donors or volunteers—any bit helps.”
“This year I’ll be donating to Outright Action International’s Covid-19 Relief Fund, which responds to the urgent needs of LGBTQ+ people and communities around the world,” says Bethany C. Meyers, whose company, the be.come project, will also be driving donations. “For those who are financially able, this is an incredible way to make sure your pride celebrations actually end up bettering and supporting the community. (Side note: All straight people who participate in Pride should absolutely donate or contribute to the community!)”
5. Practice Self Care
“While I absolutely love the rainbow, glitter, and people-filled streets that accompany NYC Pride, I am looking forward to switching up the pace and slowing down for moments of rest and reflection,” says Christopher Griffin. “I am giving myself the opportunity to really be with myself during Pride this year, giving myself space to love up on who I’ve become, appreciate who I was, and dream of who I will be. Self-reflection is the fertilizer for that personal growth, darling.”
For Brandon Osorio, self care means “rewatching all seasons of Drag Race. I’m currently on season 6 (arguably one of the best), and am falling in love with the queens all over again.”
Griffin suggests that “self care” can mean any number of things: “morning meditations, bubble baths, YouTube yoga sessions, watering my plants, online plant shopping, and cooking myself cute breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are just a few of my self-care activities planned for this month.”
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6. Reach Out to Loved Ones
“Call your loved ones, friends, your chosen family,” says Brandon Osorio. “Now more than ever it’s important to connect with others. Pride, in its true form, is a celebration of love, solidarity, and confidence with your LGBTQ+ identity, so be sure to celebrate with others.”
“Community-care is just as important as self-care,” says Christopher Griffin, who plans on organizing Queer movies nights via Netflix Party, queer virtual dance parties with friends, FaceTime dinner dates with family, and virtual happy hours with colleagues and coworkers this month. “When self-care isn’t enough I know that I have a community of LGBTQ+ folks that I can lean on,” says Griffin. “And for that I am eternally grateful.”
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7. Go H.A.M Anyway
“I’ll still be dressing up at home this year,” says Bethany C. Meyers. “This is one of my favorite parts of pride and I’m not planning on dropping it now!”
Harper Watters agrees: “My goal this year is to honor and highlight the queer legends who have motivated and inspired me to be the person and artist I am today by reinterpreting some of their most iconic work,” says Watters. “The work of dancers, artists, and personalities, people from the LGBTQ+ community who have shown unwavering courage and determination in going against unpopular opinions to achieve their dreams and uplift their community—basically, I’ll be doing a lot of dancing in heels, just inside rather than strutting down the streets!”