Beginning in 1969 with a ‘Gay Power’ demonstration of about 500 people in Washington Square Park, the NYC Pride March is now considered to be the largest Pride Parade in the United States. In 2019, celebrating Stonewall 50/WorldPride NYC, approximately five-million people took part over the final weekend of the celebrations, with about four-million in attendance at the parade.
Join NYC Pride 2023 during the month of June as it celebrates its legacy and future projects like the 2024 opening of the LGBTQ Visitor Center and The American LGBTQ+ Museum with an anticipated opening in 2026.
Below are just a few events during #NYCPride on our list.
We kick-off our Pride Month post with the news that a new, 4,000 square-foot museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history and culture is in the works, and will be located within the anticipated expansion of The New York Historical Society. Now in its developmental stages, the anticipated opening to be in and around 2026.
The American LGBTQ+ Museum will be located within a 4,000 square foot gallery space and occupy a full floor. Exciting programming to include rotating exhibitions and a ‘virtual museum’ in addition to its permanent exhibitions.
Anticipated Opening of LGBTQ Visitor Center within National Park Service, Set to Open in 2024
The National Parks Service held a ground breaking ceremony in 2022 on a visitor center at the Stonewall National Monument. The center plans to share the history of the Stonewall Inn and its impact on the LGBTQ movement. Located next to the Stonewall Inn, it will be a 3,700-square-foot site showcasing artwork created by LGBTQ artists, providing tours of the area and lectures on Stonewall’s history. Anticipated opening, 2024.
Oceanic, Portal at Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art ~ on view
Through photography, 3D video created with Lidar scanners, and an augmented reality app, Oceanic, Portal presents images of three dancers as ghosts moving through time and space. They appear at Natural Bridges Beach (on Amah Mutsun land colonized as Santa Cruz, California), and at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (on land the Lenape named Manahatta). Queer crip Chicanx feminist Gloria Anzaldúa (1942–2004), whose writings inform this project, evoked millennia of geological transformation at Natural Bridges in her early efforts to include trans women in women of color feminism. The dancers’ movements are also inspired by scholar Tiffany Lethabo King’s theorization of shoals as disrupters to colonial systems of knowledge.
Celebrating Alice & Gertrude through Song: Preservation & Pride in partnership with Tin Pan Alley ~ June 3
The perfect accompaniment to the landmark views of Alice and Gertrude’s seaside lawn is vintage and rare music. Miss Maybell & Charlie Judkins’ sound brings you back to an era when this Victorian setting would have been filled with music. Miss Maybell & Charlie Judkins’ historic take on music is more than just for looks. Charlie Judkins’s ragtime piano work plays well with Miss Maybell’s vocal style. Miss Maybell offers up more than just Flapper-era vocals, during her performances she plays unconventional (by today’s standards) instruments including a washboard and even a kazoo. Truly a performance to behold, Miss Maybell & Charlie Judkins are not to be missed.
The Whitney Museum of American Art Celebrates Pride from June 5-28 with a plethora of activities
Celebrate Pride at the Whitney all month long. Discover the queer history of the Meatpacking District, dance the night away at a party inspired by New York’s iconic ballroom culture, and get creative with artists. This June, drop by the Museum to enjoy inclusive activities for all ages. LGBTQ+ visitors and allies are invited to free parties, film screenings, creative workshops, performances, and more.
Whitney Pride is part of the Museum’s ongoing commitment to support LGBTQ+ artists and communities and offer an inclusive space for all to gather and enjoy American art. Please note that registration is required for most programs.
The Loisaida Center Presents ‘June is for Drag’ a Month Long Celebration Beginning ~ June 8
This June, in solidarity with their LGBTQI+ community members, Acacia Network and its affiliate Loisaida Inc. will present a month-long arts series celebrating Pride Month.
Curated by queer artist Gabriel G Torres, the Loisaida is Proudseries kicks off on Thursday, June 8th at 6 PM with an opening reception for the exhibition “We are all born naked, the rest is drag,” showcasing more than 15 years of never-before exhibited work by lens-based artist Ernesto Linnemann. The exhibition will run through Friday, June 23rd.
Jim Hodges: Craig’s closet Unveiled at NYC AIDS Memorial ~ June 9
For those of us with the good fortune to have a place to hang our things, a closet is a magical container, a collection of materials, arranged by each of us that at a glance can reveal our values, desires, cares, and even our deepest secrets. Time itself is frozen inside a closet in contrasting meters and timelines, fragmented in things accumulated and arranged in juxtaposed order, stacked and aligned, quickly thrown or casually dropped there to be taken care of later. The scene is set, and the narratives that blossom come alive whenever the doors swing open, giving us a reading, a reminder, an understanding of who we are, where we have been, secrets, and dreams we hold. Boxes concealing our heart’s contours, scribbled messages scratched on folded notes and cards, photos, records, files, all the stuff worth saving for the reason that each thing signifies, all these choices contained in the holding space, the closet.
Weavers of the Daisy Chain Gang Chorus: Ties That Bond at NYC AIDS Memorial ~ June 10
Throughout their 40-year collaboration, Peter Cramer and Jack Waters have built a media-driven interdisciplinary practice that draws upon socio-political engagement with issues of sexual/gender identity and AIDS activism. For the Memorial, Cramer and Waters have conceived a durational performance/installation in collaboration with members of their “queer-skinned kitchen band,” NYOBS, featuring John Michael Swartz and Mike Cacciatore. For several hours, the ensemble will weave a tapestry of ribbons, sound, movement, music, and text throughout the Memorial site, evoking the tradition of springtime maypole celebrations. Inspired by the 1960s-era “Happenings,” musical instruments and art materials will be provided to the general public to activate the site as part of the event. In the spirit of an urban homestead, all attendees are encouraged to get involved in building together. More on Visual Aids.
Brooklyn Pride Parade ~ June 10
The Brooklyn Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, June 10th from 7:30pm to 10pm. This Twilight Parade will take place on 5th Avenue from Lincoln Place to 9th Street in Brooklyn.
Talking Statues: Bringing Stonewall Uprising to Life ~ June 11
Join us on Sunday, June 11 for the launch of the Talking Statues Project in Christopher Park to find out. That’s when both Christopher Park and the park’s George Segal “Gay Liberation” statues come to life for the first time and their stories are told by a Broadway cast.
Attendees will learn more about the project and hear the story of 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising as only the park itself could tell it, narrated by Broadway actor Jenn Colella (and the voice of one of the Gay Liberation statues).
Legends of Drag at NYC AIDS Memorial ~ June 14
This year, in celebration of NYC Pride Month, we are partnering with the creative team behind the new portrait book Legends of Drag (Abrams, 2022) to present a live, on-site revue at the Memorial featuring seven, fabulous drag elders—Caracol de Cuba, Dina Jacobs, Egyptt LaBeija, Kelly Ray, Ruby Rims, and Simone, with Linda Simpson serving as emcee—all of whom paved the way for the drag renaissance of today. Campy, brash, witty, and most of all talented dancers, lip-synch artists, and live singers, these queens are survivors, thrivers, and cultural ambassadors. As both drag performers and trans folks have increasingly become political targets and scapegoats, uplifting these trailblazers and sharing in their wisdom and joy is one of the most potent antidotes available in our arsenal.
“Focus on Dance” at Keith de Lellis Gallery ~ June 14
Keith de Lellis Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition of photographs that explore the history of dance in the 20th century, with works spanning from the 1920s to the 1960s. The poses, expressions, and moments formed in these photographs were also conceptualized through a phrase of dance, a surrealist notion that holds visually throughout these works. Together and separately, both dance and photography are ever-changing. ‘Focus on Dance’ to open on June 14th.
Cheng-Harrell Open Night: Pastels and Pride at Frick Madison ~ June 23
Celebrate Pride Month at Frick Madison! This free event invites visitors to spend a summer evening among the Frick’s treasures. Attend themed talks, listen to live jazz in our outdoor café, and try your hand at figure drawing with drag artist Gloria Swansong. All night long, escape the heat with after-hours access to our galleries and reading room.
Complimentary refreshments from The SisterYard will be provided. Gallery talks will explore pastels by Nicolas Party and Rosalba Carriera, Pride-themed selections from the Frick Art Reference Library, and J. M. W. Turner’s Harbor of Dieppe. Plus, get a final glimpse of the gold and gems on display in our decorative arts exhibition The Gregory Gift, closing soon.
The NYC Pride March ~ June 25
The annual New York City Pride March will take place on March 25th beginning at Noon. This years Grand Marshals will include Billy Porter, Yasmin Benoit, AC Dumlao, Hope Giselle and Randolph ‘Randy’ Wicker. Angelica Ross will return for a third year as co-host on the broadcast special on ABC-7. Heads-up ~ Christina Aguilera announced as headliner of Pride Island.
Head Back, Eyes to Sky at NYC AIDS Memorial ~ June 29
This experiment in joining text and sound, a passage through memory, and a fitting coda to the Pride season brings together influential poet/performer Pamela Sneed with the remarkable composer/musicians Natalie Greffel and Mazz Swift. Sneed’s practice poignantly emerges from her service as an activist and caregiver during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Recognized for her compelling spoken voice, Sneed has recently entered more musical realms, which will be explored in this improvisatory context, with Greffel on bass and Swift on violin—their three voices joining together.
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Celebrated LGBTQ in 2022 with a Landmarks Story Map
In honor of Pride Month, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), announced the launch of Pride: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Landmarks, an interactive story map highlighting individual landmarks designated for their association with people and organizations that made significant contributions to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) cultural and civil rights movements. Through narrative text, photos, maps, and multimedia content, the public can learn more about the important history behind these landmarks.
Julius’ Bar Plaque Unveiled by Village Preservation in April, 2022
Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Village Preservation by Village Preservation (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation).
Last year, Village Preservation, in collaboration with NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, unveiled a historic plaque to commemorate the Julius’ Bar ‘Sip-In’.
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Designated The Lesbian Herstory Archives as an Individual Historic Landmark
On November 22, 2022, LPC voted to approve The Lesbian Herstory Archives, located at 484 Fourteenth Street in Brooklyn, as an Individual Historic Landmark. It is the first individual landmark in Brooklyn designated for its LGBTQ+ associations.
Visit ‘The Life of Christ’ by Keith Haring at Cathedral of St. John the Divine
One of the pieces of the panel above, honors the artist Keith Haring, whose final work “The Life of Christ” (below) sits in the Chapel of St. Columba in the Cathedral.
“Now with AIDS I don’t really have any dreams any more. whatever dreams I did have, because of having a completely different view of the future because of being sick, there’s nothing I want to do that I haven’t done. I won’t be disappointed if there’s some things that don’t get done. Inevitably, no matter how long you work, it’s always going to end some time. And there’s always going to be things left undone. and it wouldn’t matter if you lived until you were seventy-five, there would still be new ideas. There would still be things that you wished you would have accomplished. You could work for several lifetimes. If I could clone myself there would still be too much work to do, even if there were five of me. And there are no regrets, really. Part of the reason that I’m not having trouble facing the reality of death is that it’s not a limitation, in a way. It could have happened any time and it is going to happen to someone any time. If you live your life according to that, death is irrelevant. Everything I’m doing right now is exactly what I want to do.“…… Keith Haring, May 3, 1989
Take a Look-Back ~ Celebrating World Pride 2019 and StoneWall 50
June 28, 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in 1969, when the New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, leading to protests and violent clashes outside the Christopher Street establishment ~ and the beginning of the gay rights movement. Celebrating Stonewall 50, beginning in March, and leading up to the World Pride NYC March: Stonewall 50 was held in June, 2019.
#NYCPride