In a world where LGBTQ+ people face increasing challenges in the fight for acceptance, Pride Month is a beacon of hope and defiance for the queer community. This year, event organisers are working extra hard to create inclusive spaces where everyone can feel seen, heard and celebrated.
From the lively streets of New Orleans to the bustling neighbourhoods of New York City, we’re spotlighting how Eventbrite creators are bringing their unique experiences and vision to the festivities, and how they’re building a sense of community and belonging that resonates far beyond Pride Month.
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Queer Garden
Whitney Day was working as a DJ when she noticed there were “slim pickings for more lesbian-identified people” on New York’s LGBTQ+ scene. So in 2012, she set up her own weeknight parties for queer women — and the turnouts proved she was on to something.
With her after-work bashes igniting a passion for event curation, Whitney is now the founder of her own events company, where she focuses on larger scale parties around big calendar moments, like Pride Month.
This year, she is bringing Queer Garden — her festival-style event for 1500 queer women, trans folk, and friends — back to Williamsburg at a 25,000-square-foot lot on 30 June.
“There’s literally something for everyone,” she says. “Whether you want to party, just hang out — you can even bring your dog, as we’re doing a little pup parade this time.”
Whitney explains things have changed on the queer scene as Gen Z are “doing things differently in terms of how they want to party and build a community,” hence why she offers something more multi-faceted.
But for Whitney and her crowds, having a safe, inclusive space is as important as ever, as now “some people don’t necessarily see why we need [them]”.
But these joy-filled events are just the tonic to the current global political landscape, she argues: “Showing unity and presence helps the whole world with acceptance.”
Whitney has many regulars at her events — many of whom she’s seen grow up — and says the thanks she receives from them “means so much”.
“We always have the best time. People are just very grateful and appreciative. And, you know, I am just doing my job,” she says. “But at the same time, I can feel really good about it because I finally made that space I was always looking for as a younger queer person.”
Walking with the Gay Ghosts of New Orleans
Having grown up in New York City, Marcus Shacknow once thought LGBTQ+ history was “confined to the island of Manhattan, with a bit of San Francisco sprinkled in for good measure”. It was only when he moved south, he discovered there was lots of queer history that deserved celebration.
After months of “nerding out”, Marcus decided to put what he’d learned into practise and share this knowledge, arranging his first official Gay Tour during New Orleans’ Southern Decadence Weekend of 2022.
Taking to the streets of NOLA, Marcus had one big aim: “I wanted to give a tour that was SO GAY, it may scare the typical Bourbon Street bachelorette party.”
“I donned my pink jockstrap and set forth retelling the history, folklore, gossip, scandal and sexscapades of gay people’s past,” he recalls.
“New Orleans has always been a place of fabulous filth, and I felt a gay tour of the French Quarter must match that reputation,” adds Marcus, who also works as a script writer for plays and TV shows. As such, he curates his events in a three act structure to keep ticket holders engaged, and sees his tours as like “performing an immersive theatre piece” with the French Quarter as his stage.
“Queer people are fun, subversive, sexy — and often downright silly! I think our history should be told as such,” he says.
Marcus’ Walking with the Gay Ghosts of New Orleans tours take place on 7, 8, and 9th June this Pride Month, and he says that previous events have offered the community “a bit more ownership of our timeline”, given that LGBTQ+ stories are often left out of the history books.
“Queer history is preserved through our interpersonal relationships and dialogues, and the tour is incredibly affected by those who attend each night,” Marcus explains. “People love to contribute their own ideas and their own histories. Each tour is different in that way. Which is incredibly rewarding as the guide.”
Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus
As a non-profit organisation made up largely by volunteers, event curation responsibilities are proudly shared by many members of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. But they are all approaching their Pride celebration with the same mission statement in mind — “giving voice through song to a community where everyone matters.”
On 22 and 23 June, they are hosting You Can’t Stop the Beat: A Pride Cabaret — an event which will “showcase our artistry, our love, and our commitment to fighting for inclusion and acceptance,” says Board Vice President Shawn Simon. There will be solo cabaret performances, original compositions, powerful arrangements, dancing and iconic songs like ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ from ‘Hairspray’ that “promise to fill hearts with love and acceptance”.
The cabaret will also celebrate 25 years since the chorus was established. Open to people of all sexualities and gender identities, Simon says the chorus has created a space where more people feel comfortable, which has in turn drawn more people into their shows.
Of the power Pride events like their own give the community, Board Secretary Seth Frost adds: “We who can stand up and sing, loudly and proudly, can be a comfort and a beacon to anyone who isn’t able to authentically express themselves.
“Many of our concerts end with the chorus spreading out around the audience during our final song, trying to give just a little more of that feeling of being in community — of being welcome and safe, no matter who you are or what brought you here.”
