From Mark Segal, founder of the Philly Gay News:
“This year, Pride takes place under a heavier cloud than most. Those longstanding tensions are now compounded by a very real and immediate threat.
Let’s be clear: Our community is under attack. The Trump administration’s aggressive rollback of LGBTQ+ protections, its intimidation of corporate allies, and its war on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) are already having an impact. HIV/AIDS programs are being gutted. Community centers and clinics are losing vital federal funding — like the $3.5 million cut from the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Corporate support is drying up, and many Pride organizations across the country have lost up to a quarter of their funding. The ability to hire, promote and celebrate openly LGBTQ+ people is shrinking in many workplaces.
So what now?
We go back to the roots. The reasons behind that first Pride are the same today: We must be visible. We must remind the world that we will not be erased. When they try to push us back into the closet, we respond the way we always have — by stepping out louder, prouder and more united than ever.”
Read more at Philly Gay News.
VISIBILITY IN PERSON…AND ONLINE
So come to Pride! Here are all the details. It’s all day, free to enter.
Many ways to participate. There are 75 events so you can’t go wrong!
PhillyGayCalendar has a searchable listing.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD BE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT
GLAAD sounded the alarm this month on new trends online: platforms are rolling back hate-speech protections and they are having an impact. They have a guide for individual account protection and what to do if you are doxxed, how to protest, etc.
Please take a second to sign GLAAD’s petition to Meta:
Reinstate Protections for Women, LGBTQ+ People, and Black and Brown People on Your Platforms NOW!
Want political inspiration? On Monday’s webinar, you can hear from the leading attorney who won marriage equality before the Supreme Court and a panel on the long struggle for those rights. Free to attend, online.
PRIDE IN THE BURBS IS IMPORTANT TOO
There are Pride events in the suburbs next weekend and this month too! Here’s a rundown on PhillyBurbs.com.
- Montgomery County Pride has events all month.
- If you are an ally and want to show solidarity, here are some groups going:
- The League of Women Voters is organizing a crew to go to Pride Delco in Media next Saturday. More info here.
- Red Wine and Blue is going to Pride Chester County Pride on Saturday, June 7, in Phoenixville. Info here.
