How to Celebrate and Educate Yourself During Pride Month 2024
June 04, 2024 Written by Jessica Downey | Photo from Good Good Good
June is Pride Month! Did you know that the first Pride march in New York City was held on June 28, 1970 on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising? We encourage you to stay engaged around the injustices facing the LGBTQ+ community and the community鈥檚 resistance.
Below are some ways to educate yourself on LGBTQ+ history and news with recommendations to read, watch, listen to and attend this month!
Read This:
In 2017, Philadelphia鈥檚 Office of LGBT Affairs and design agency Tierney participated in the More Color More Pride campaign. They revamped the traditional six-color rainbow Pride Flag to include two additional stripes to represent LGBTQ+ people of color. Learn about the impact this new flag has had since its creation.
Pride Month is about more than 鈥淕ay Pride.鈥 It鈥檚 a month to acknowledge intersectional identities and acknowledge that biases within the community still exist in the forms of transphobia, biphobia and racism. Read how Pride Month continues to create a meaningful impact for all every year.
You may know Marsha P. Johnson and James Baldwin, but have you heard about all 16 of these queer Black icons? Get inspired by historical figures who paved the way for LGBTQIA+ people of color, including 鈥済uardian of the lesbians in the Village鈥 Storm茅 DeLarverie, choreographer Alvin Ailey and transgender activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy.
From the Stonewall Riots to the cities that host Pride parades, take a deep dive into the history of the month, how its evolved in the last 54 years and what the future holds.
Listen to This:
This New York Times culture podcast explores media, work, dating in a changing world, hosted by queer folks of color NYT writers J Wortham and Wesley Morris. Although new episodes haven鈥檛 been released since 2022, you鈥檒l want to explore the archive, including notably praised 2016 episodes 鈥淭he Reckoning鈥 and 鈥淛ourney to the 鈥楤lacksonian.鈥欌
Hosted by self-proclaimed queer nerds Leigh Pfeffer and Gretchen Jones, the History is Gay monthly podcast revisits overlooked queer historical figures to uncover the significant (and sidelined) roles they played in history lessons you learned in school鈥攑lus some stories you never heard before.
Their slogan proclaims, 鈥淲e tell trans stories to save trans lives.鈥 The TransLash Podcast with award-winning journalist Imara Jones is a biweekly series that brings trans people and allies together to discuss a path forward from a world filled with anti-trans violence and political backlash.
Created in 2017, the Gender Reveal podcast explores what gender even is鈥攁long with some fun topics and tangents鈥攖hrough interviews with trans, nonbinary and two-spirit people. Since launching the podcast, hosts Tuck Woodstock and Ozzy Llinas Goodman have created a grant program and a new spin on Trans Day of Visibility called 鈥淭rans Day of Having a Nice Snack,鈥 which distributed $13,100 for snacks and $21,700 in general mutual aid this spring.
Watch This:
鈥凄颈蝉肠濒辞蝉耻谤别鈥 is a 2020 Netflix original documentary that takes a look at Hollywood鈥檚 depiction of transgender people and how damaging and inaccurate American cinema can be to the trans community.
The 1990 documentary film 鈥淧aris is Burning鈥 chronicles the drag ball culture of New York City in its heyday and shines a spotlight on trans communities of color. In 2016, the film was added to the National Film Registry.
The 2014 documentary film 鈥淜UMU HINA鈥 follows Hina Wong-Kalu, a Native Hawaiian activist who identifies as 鈥渕ahu,鈥 the indigenous third gender culture, while also trying to live as a modern trans person.
In 1947, pro baseball player Terry Donahue fell in love with Pat Henschel. 鈥淎 Secret Love鈥 explores their 65-year relationship and how they hid the truth of their love from their families.
Attend This:
On Saturday, June 8, you can strut your stuff and rock the runway at the City Pride: Express Yourself Fashion Runway Show at the Community Education Building in Wilmington. Celebrate with fellow fashionistas and enjoy happy hour and networking before the show, plus a special performance and beats by DJ Khaddi. Purchase your ticket now for $25.
Every second Sunday of the Month, Delaware Pride hosts a gathering for good dialogue around cups of coffee. The next event takes place Sunday, June 9 from 1鈥3 p.m. at the Panera Bread in Wilmington on Kirkwood Highway.
Held the third Saturday of every month, Delaware Pride Bowling invites the community to Bowlerama in New Castle for two hours of bowling with free shoe rental. This month, join them on Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m.
The Brandywine Zoo is hosting its fourth annual Pride Day event on Saturday, June 22, 10 a.m.鈥3 p.m. Wear your pride gear and enjoy a day of education programming, a scavenger hunt, story time and more. The zoo celebrates the diversity of its plants and animals, in addition to staff and visitors.