Every month, Philadelphia shows its commitment to LGBT equality and inclusion, but this month is a special opportunity for our city to show our support during LGBT Pride Month! Throughout the month, Philadelphians can join workshops, festivals, parades, and marches.
For all of us, both those who identify as LGBT and our straight/cisgender allies, Pride Month is an opportunity – to listen to one another, to share our perspectives, to remember our history, to celebrate our individuality, to identify where our experiences overlap, and to use this information to make our communities better, stronger, and more inclusive every single day.
Here are a few ways you can get involved!
June 1 – 30, 2015: AIDS Education Month
Now in its 22nd year, AIDS Education Month is spearheaded by local HIV organization Philadelphia FIGHT. Throughout the month, FIGHT runs workshops, symposiums, and conferences to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and to bring people together to find strategies to combat the virus. Check out the event’s website for a full listing of events.
June 9, 2016, Trans Pride Flag Raising, 12:15 p.m.
The City will raise the trans pride flag at a public ceremony at the northeast corner of City Hall, in part to celebrate the start of the Trans Health Conference.
June 9 – 12, 2016: Philadelphia Trans Health Conference
A globally-recognized event, the Trans Health Conference educates and empowers trans individuals on issues of health and well-being, educates and informs allies and health service providers, and facilitates networking, community building, and systemic change.
June 10, 2016, City Trans Health Conference Celebration, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Philadelphians and attendees of the Trans Health Conference are encouraged to enjoy this outdoor concert and pep rally at the Municipal Services Building, located at 1401 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, that will honor the conference as well as celebrate the City raising the trans pride flag a day earlier. This will be the second time Philadelphia has raised the trans pride flag this year.
June 10, 2016, Pride Weekend Kickoff Block Party, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Celebrate pride in anticipation of Sunday’s parade and festival with a block party at 12th and Locust streets in the city’s Gayborhood. Attendees will enjoy refreshments, food, amusements, and $10 wristbands good for admission to the festival at Penn’s Landing on Sunday. Wristbands purchased on Sunday for festival admission are $15.
June 11, 2016, William Way LGBT Community Center Homecoming 2016, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The William Way LGBT Community Center is Philadelphia’s LGBT epicenter, and this year the organization is celebrating over forty years of serving the community. The Center promises live entertainment, a silent auction, and “all manner of revelry with friends, old and new.” Tickets are available for purchase online.
June 11, 2016, Philadelphia Dyke March, 3:00 p.m.
The free event describes itself as “an opportunity for self-identified dykes to gather, march, and rally. Too often, the LGBT community focuses on male-dominated voices. The Philly Dyke March is our protest in support of the dyke voice and experience.” Attendees gather at Kahn Park at 11th and Pine streets at 3:00 p.m. and start marching at 4:00 p.m., with organizers encouraging participants to bring friends, family, signs, banners, costumes, drums, whistles, and, most importantly, themselves.
June 11, 2016, GayBINGO!, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
An irreverent event that benefits HIV/AIDS charities, GayBINGO! promises “an evening of unbridled fun, complete with ridiculous musical numbers, hilarious drag queen antics, chances to win fabulous prizes, and much, much more!” Celebrating its 20th year, GayBINGO! is reprising some of its favorite past themes all year, including this month’s, “It’s a Roaring 20s Evening!”
June 12, 2016, Philadelphia Pride Parade, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
A hallmark of any city’s pride festivities, the Philadelphia Pride Parade starts in the heart of the Gayborhood at 13th and Locust and marches through Center City and Philadelphia’s historic district, concluding at Penn’s Landing. Judges observe floats and performances near Independence Mall at 6th and Market streets.
June 12, 2016, Philadelphia Pride Festival, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
With over 150 vendors, live entertainment, food, and more the Philadelphia Pride Festival occurs yearly at Penn’s Landing and functions as the terminus of the Pride Parade. Admission to the six-hour long festival is $15 on Sunday, but wristbands are available for $10 advance purchase during the block party on Friday night.
June 23, 2016, The Pursuit Premier on PBS/WHYY, 9:00 p.m.
A documentary produced by local PBS affiliate WHYY, The Pursuit looks reflects on 50 years of change since protesters gathered in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 1965 and publicly called for an end to discrimination against “homosexuals.” Prior to the premier, WHYY offers free advance screenings of the documentary on June 4, 7, and 16.
August 29, 2016, Phillies Pride Night Celebration
Pride extends beyond June and into August this year as the Philadelphia Phillies invite members and allies of Philly’s LGBT community for the team’s Pride Night Celebration at Citizens Bank Park when the team hosts the Washington Nationals. Organizations, businesses, family, and friends are encouraged to join together to support the team and the city’s LGBT community. Tickets are available for purchase online.
For more information about the City’s commitment to LGBT equality and inclusion, please contact Nellie Fitzpatrick, Director of LGBT Affairs, at helen.fitzpatrick@phila.gov or on Twitter.