This year, we will celebrate World Pride in New York for the first time. In anticipation of this monumental event for the LGBTQ+ community, city of New York and New York State, we've chosen two Out Travelers to share what they do to celebrate New York Pride in their own personal style. Gay travel writer, Barry Hoy's, recommendations are here, and you can check out Chris Mosier's (the first openly trans athlete to compete in the Olympics!) NY Pride tips here.
There is no place better than New York City to share the Pride experience. There's such a sense of community where everyone feels welcome, strangers will give you a "Happy Pride" as you pass by them on the street, and there is an endless lineup of events and celebrations. There is also the regular NY Pride must-do's, such as: The Stonewall Inn, the pier dance and then the coup de grace of the whole week, the Pride March into the West Village. This year, Out's editorial team highlighted some of our favorite New York experiences that are off the beaten path, and invite you to add them to your own WorldPride 2019 itinerary.
Nothing brings people together like a good belly laugh, which is why we cannot wait to see queer comedian (and total eye candy), Matteo Lane, perform at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown on July 6th. If you don't know Lane, you're missing out on some serious chuckles, but you can see him on Comedy Central's new series, The Comedy Jam, or extend your WorldPride 2019 vacation, and check out his show with us, upstate.
Pride + beach = YES (it's science), and Long Beach is giving us everything we want from a Pride celebration. Held June 21-23, this packed-with-activity weekend (over thirty events in three days!) takes place within spitting distance from the ocean, includes a PET Pride Parade (!!!) and is close enough to the next item on our itinerary that we can fit them both in. Hello Pride on the Vines!
Did someone say wine? Pride On The Beach is exciting enough, but visitors (like us) who are looking for a scenic place to enjoy a delicious Rose, can head straight from the beach to the vineyard for Pride on the Vines. This day-long event on the North Fork's picturesque wine country will include tours, tastings, receptions and parties. Consider us sold.
Pride is a time to have fun and celebrate, but it's also a time for our community to come together and learn from one another. That's why we're so interested in attending the Chautauqua Institution's conversation with Bishop Gene Robinson and Judy Shepard, on July 2nd. Robinson is the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, and he will be leading a conversation about how the LGBTQ+ community has developed and come together, particularly through tentpole events like Stonewall, the AIDS crisis and marriage equality. Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in honor of her son, Matthew, after he was killed in an anti-gay hate crime attack in 1998. The foundation's mission is to erase hate by replacing it with understanding, compassion and acceptance, and they've done so much work over the past twenty years to achieve that goal.
