(This update version includes A Guided Drag History Tour and safeword.)
This week is the culmination of Pride Month. Just in time for the 50 anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots, where the modern gay rights movement was born. To celebrate this huge milestone, NYC Pride will simultaneously host WorldPride -it’s the first WorldPride in the US in the event’s nearly 20-year history!
The sixth edition of this global pride festival is expected to bring over six millions of people to the Big Apple as well as an array of special events. But for those who are tired of the typical pride lineup of parties, I have developed a guide with an alternative roster of festivities that are more diverse, inclusive, and citywide.
Check out these events happening this week in celebration of NYC Pride 2019 | WorldPride NYC | Stonewall50
Bryant Park Movie Nights: The Birdcage
Sitting on the lawn of Bryant Park to enjoy a movie, it’s a longstanding summer tradition in New York City. To celebrate Pride Month, there’s a special screening of The Birdcage, the first-ever fan choice selection for Bryant Park Movie Nights curated by Vulture and presented by Netflix. Expect giveaways, trivia and wine and beer available for purchase at the Chandon bar. The lawn opens at 5 PM for picnicking (Mon, June 24 8:30 PM @ Bryant Park, 42nd Street, and Sixth Avenue)
Human Rights Conference
This two-day conference provides a unique opportunity for a global dialogue about human rights, ranging from performances to presentations, politics to policies, and activism to academics. (Mon, June 24 – Tue, June 25 9 AM – 5 PM @ New York Law School 185 West Broadway)
Macy’s Pride + Joy
In collaboration with New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer and The MEN Event; Macy’s invites guests to join the celebration at an over the top PRIDE Celebration to commemorate WorldPride and an exceptional LGBTQ Changemakers event in support of the work and mission of The Trevor Project. Guests can mix and mingle with the 2019 Changemakers award honorees and enjoy exciting entertainment, delectable bites, tempting cocktails, giveaways, and much more. RSVP is required. Use access code JOY at macysprideparty2019.eventbrite.com (Tue, Jun 25 6 PM @ Macy’s 151 West 34th Stree)
Stonewall Uprising Outdoor Screening
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Stonewall in celebration of WorldPride month, and part of this year’s ‘Movies Under the Stars’ series, Washington Square Park will present a screening of Stonewall Uprising, the documentary chronicling the historic turning point in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Grab a blanket or towel and enjoy a movie in the park. Glass bottles and alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited. (Wednesday, June 26 8:30 PM – 10:30 PM @ Washington Square Arch, Washington Square North)
QUEER CITY: A CNN Experience
A uniquely intimate look at the everyday people behind landmark moments in New York City’s queer history. This free multimedia museum experience goes beyond conventional LGBTQIA+ timelines to reveal the personal stories and artifacts that made up a movement, decade by decade, from the 1940s through today in New York City. Discover coming out letters and answering machine messages, bar napkins, and protest t-shirts, underground magazines and army uniforms, personal photos, and home videos—the artifacts of one city’s queer evolution. Featuring original CNN video content and installations. BMW will sponsor a photo booth for attendees to capture their own moments within the exhibit and take it home with them, post to social media, or share them on a common wall in the space. (Thur, June 27th 11 AM – 4 PM @ the Hudson Mercantile 463 10th Ave)
Literature Out Loud: Youth Voices Coming Out and Beyond
At each session of Literature Out Loud, aloud reading and discussions of passages of classic and contemporary literature from across the globe. This month’s theme is Stonewall and LGBTQ+. This session, celebrate the coming out stories written by youth in both narrative and poetic form. Literature Out Loud is on a drop-in basis, so feel free to drop by whenever you can! They meet in the alcove outside of room 78, the program room. (Thur, June 27th 1 PM – 2 PM @ Mid-Manhattan Library 476 Fifth Avenue)
The Rally: Stonewall 50 Commemoration
Despite the progress made in recent years, LGBTQ rights should not be taken for granted. Paying homage to those who fought for their rights in the Stonewall Uprising, NYC Pride is calling the LGBTQ community and its allies to once again take the fight back to the streets. And they won’t be alone: a lineup of activists, organizers, politicians, and more will show up to help mark this unprecedented moment in LGBTQ history. (Fri, June 28 6 PM – 9 PM @ Christopher St. & Waverly Pl)
StoryCourse Pride Table
A monthlong pop-up theatrical dining experience that will take place blocks from where Pride began — in the historic neighborhood of Greenwich Village. Five courses. Five personal stories from a diverse and intergenerational team of LGBTQ+ chefs. Proceeds from PrideTable will go to funding this Arts&Culture Workforce program on an annual basis through HMI. $169 per person (Through June 29 7:30 PM @ StoryCourse Pop-Up Venue 391 6th Ave)
The Ally Coalition and Microsoft, Feel the Pride Installation
This immersive experience is like none other, using light, sound, and artificial intelligence to explore and express the feelings of the LGBTQ+ community and what Pride means to them. The community-driven experience features a soundscape by St. Vincent and is generated by user Tweets and messages. Microsoft Azure’s Sentiment Analysis tool interprets user messages into a spectacular immersive display of music, light, and color. (Through June 30 11:00 AM-8:00 PM @ 568 Broadway )
Art after Stonewall, 1969-1989
The first major exhibition to examine the impact of the LGBTQ civil-rights movement on the art world. Much has been written on the impact of the LGBTQ movement on American society and yet almost 50 years after Stonewall, key artists and their works of art are little known. This exhibition includes over 150 works of art and related materials and focuses on the work of openly LGBTQ artists like Vaginal Davis, Michela Griffo, Lyle Ashton Harris, David Hockney, Greer Lankton, Robert Mapplethorpe, Catherine Opie, and Andy Warhol among others. – Don’t miss out on visiting the first and only gay art museum in the world. (Through July 21 @ Leslie-Lohman Museum 26 Wooster Street)
Visual Impact: On Art, AIDS, and Activism
The intersection of Twelfth Street and Greenwich Avenue, in the West Village is a cozy little spot, and it’s the place where you will find the NYC AIDS Memorial. If you haven’t visited it yet, WorldPride weekend is the perfect time to see this remembrance monument. While you’re there, you can check out the public art installation, Visual Impact situated adjacent to the Memorial Park on Greenwich Avenue. Presented in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program, the educational exhibition showcases eight iconic works—by artists, graphic designers, and photographers—that represent the visual identity of the AIDS resistance from the mid-1980s through today. (On View Now at 76 Greenwich Ave)
A Guided Drag History Tour
Join HBO and Christopher Street Tours on this fun, and informative Wig Walk – a Drag History Tour of NYC’s most iconic drag history landmarks! The tour highlights HBO’s new feature documentary, WIG, sharing stories of New York City’s drag queens, the art of drag, and more. Sites include the historic Washington Square Park, Stonewall Inn, the Ridiculous Theater Company, and the Christopher Street Piers. Tour is approximately 2 hours in length and will cover 1.5 miles of Greenwich Village. RSVP HERE (Various Dates and Times, Meet at McCarthy Square, Waverly Pl & Charles St)
Watch The Bondage Play safeword
As part of the self-expression of queer people sometimes includes BDSM, subversive sexuality and leather culture. What better way to celebrate Pride than by watching the new play safeword – a follow up to S. Asher Gelman’s play Afterglow, safeword. An exploration of power dynamics through BDSM and food, reveals how the people closest to us often have the most to hide. An unlikely meeting between New York City neighbors fosters a new friendship among two couples, laden with secrets. After an incident in which everything is revealed, they must all come to grips with the pieces of themselves they keep most hidden. (Through July 7 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 3 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 2 PM & 7 PM @ at The American Theatre of Actors 314 W 54 Street)
Happy Pride New York!
Jorge Gallegos
Not just a pretty face
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