The annual LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Celebration will be held virtually on Thursday, June 18, and will be hosted by Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee with Queens Councilmen Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer.
“Queens is unabashedly Pride, all day and every day,” said Lee. “The Borough of Families will continue the tradition of celebrating the history of Pride, power and passion of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
The virtual celebration will be livestreamed online and will feature performances by Miss LCA, a special message by actor and Queens native John Leguizamo, music by DJ Miss Hap, and a tribute to those who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There will also be a panel discussion with members of the Caribbean Equality Project, the LGBT Network, Out Rockaway and Queens Pride about the way the pandemic has impacted the LGBTQIA+ community, with mention of resources available to the community youth and seniors.
“Happy LGBTQ Pride to all,” said Dromm. “LGBTQ Pride Month has always been a time for party and protest, for love and resistance. In that tradition, I am pleased to join Queens Borough President Lee in celebrating the progress we have made in Queens while renewing my commitment to fighting injustice in the years ahead.”
To augment the celebration, the Queens borough president’s office is also sharing a special 11-minute short film about leading trans-Latinx activist Lorena Borjas of Jackson Heights, who died in March due to COVID-19 complications. The short film is produced by QPTV and posted on www.queensbp.org/pride.
“Although we are not able to celebrate in Borough Hall together this year, we remember the history of pride and the trans women of color who took a stand against police brutality 51 years ago,” said Councilman Van Bramer. “Queer liberation has always been a fight for social justice and we continue that fight today here in Queens. Happy Pride!”
If interested in participating in the Virtual LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Celebration via Zoom, you can RSVP at www.queensbp.org/rsvp by Wednesday, June 17. On June 18, a public livestream will be available at www.queensbp.org.
Lee also commissioned the installation of Pride flags, representing the LGBTQIA+ movement, in front of Queens Borough Hall, that will remain on display throughout the month of June. This is the second year the flags are displayed outside of Borough Hall, the first of which was led by then-Borough President Melinda Katz in conjunction with Queens Pride.
