This year, pride has been a little different. With the importance of social distancing in mind, many people have stayed back in their homes, which in all honesty, is entirely understandable. Many events in London have been postponed to 2021. So, feel free to start making plans way early for next year. But, if you’re not one to settle down, feel free to check out these virtual events.
Can’t Cancel Pride
LGBTQ stars and allies including Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, Sia, Billy Porter, Kim Petras and Big Freedia are set to lead a live-streamed virtual event called Can’t Cancel Pride on June 25th. All of the proceeds and donations made from this event will benefit national organisations supporting LGBTQ+ communities, including the National Black Justice Coalition, The Trevor Project, Outright, GLAAD, SAGE, and CenterLink.
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Pride Inside
Joining forces after the cancellation of hundreds of events, UK Black pride, Amnesty International, Stonewall and ParaPride have developed an online series of gigs, comedy shows, panel discussions and arts-based activities, in the hopes of keeping pride alive through all of the current mayhem. As of right now, the details of the line-up are still blurry, but it will most definitely take place over one week, from June 28th to July 5th. Make sure you keep track of updates!
Pride in London’s community hub
Since the pride parade in London won’t be taking place until 2021, the organisation has channelled its energy into making a community hub to generate 30,000 acts of allyship, one for every person who would have turned up at the 2020 march. The campaign’s mission is generally to educate and advice people on which petitions they should sign, charities to donate to and how to write to their MP demanding reform of the Gender Recognition Act.
If you’re not here for the idea of virtually supporting pride, then here are some of the best festivities around the world that celebrate pride.
The Amsterdam Milkshake Festival
This festival is much more than your usual event. It celebrates queer culture but most importantly, it’s a festival labelled for everyone who loves the LGBTQ community. It’s wild and wonderful, bright, full of crazy costumes and incredible performances. As of right now, the festival is postponed but nothings certain, so make sure you keep up with the updates so you don’t miss anything.
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Outfest & BFI
Outfest and BFI Flare in London are also popular. These larger, more heavily-covered events, mainly focuses on international film, music and storytelling festival that spotlights breakthrough works from today’s most exciting underground artists, musicians, and creators.
The dates for these events may vary but these were the ones that were initially decided.
- 2020 Outfest – July 16th to July 26th
- 2020 BFI London Film Festival – October 7th to October 18th
Has anything really changed?
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, which was held in New York City on June 28th, 1970. decades later, there’s still a part of the LGBTQ community that fights for a chance to be heard in a society where most of their voices become a mere whisper. However, after many accounts of bullying, harassment & stereotyping, attitudes are slowly yet surely, slipping away from the past, and people are finally focusing on accepting the community for what it is.
More people seem to be living their truth, young adults are facing less backlash than ever before, and many parents have understood that this is not just a phase, and that their kid isn’t confused. The LGBTQ community also receives a surprising amount of back up from the commercial side of the world – and while many think businesses just wrap their brand in a rainbow to sell more products, it’s essential to understand that something is better than nothing. Even though some of the donations they make may have ulterior motives, there’s no denying how much it helps the community grow and face the challenges that approach them on a regular basis.
In conclusion, even though the fight from true equality is far from over; it’s essential to understand that progress has been made and that the overall support has definitely made tremendous leaps forward. With that being said, happy pride everyone!
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