Delta Foundation works toward a proud PrideFest 2020
Pride is an everyday thing, but the LGBTQIA+ community and allies celebrate in a big way during the month of June, a tribute to the Stonewall Inn uprising that unleashed voices against injustice.
The annual Pittsburgh PrideFest was supposed to be held first in June and then this weekend, July 17-19, but like just about everything in our lives, COVID-19 has forced its postponement, tentatively until fall.
Last week was a big one for the city of Pittsburgh and PrideFest host, the Delta Foundation.
On July 7, City Council unanimously approved the creation of a permanent Pittsburgh commission “to advocate for equity for the LGBTQIA+ community in Pittsburgh.”
Delta, meanwhile, has begun to find a way back after a recent shake-up, including the January resignation of volunteer president Gary Van Horn, who is accused of forging documents to claim himself as a first responder.
The Pittsburgh advocacy group also has been called out for not advocating for transgender and nonbinary members of the community, including inviting Iggy Azalea to headline PrideFest in 2015. Tweets by the singer with racist and homophobic language surfaced, and Azalea dropped out.
Last week, on July 9, in an open letter to members of the LGBTQIA community in Western Pennsylvania, Delta posted changes aimed at healing old wounds:
“In order for the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh to better serve the LGBTQ community locally, especially QTPOC, transgender and nonbinary communities, we are announcing that four Board seats have been declared open for community nominations. The Foundation specifically seeks diverse voices and backgrounds.
“Candidates who are of the Trans, nonbinary, lesbian and QTPOC communities are specifically sought so that our Board can more equally reflect our diverse community. Nominations for these four seats will be taken until August 10, 2020, and additional nominations will be taken on an ongoing basis.”
Delta also announced the formation of a Youth Community Advisory Committee to help “in the planning and execution of events, including Pittsburgh Pride.”
As Delta resets, and with PrideFest 2020 up in the air, the Delta Foundation’s Christine L. Bryan, director of marketing and development, offered three ways for the community to celebrate Pride this weekend and the days to come. 1. Celebrate Pride with the world:
Pittsburgh Pride was featured in Global Pride, a 24-hour virtual event on June 27. Global Pride was viewed by millions and shined a light on LGBTQIA+ community members from every continent. While music licensing restrictions mean the the broadcast cannot be replayed, Bryan said, you can view the Pittsburgh Pride video at www.PittsburghPride.org/globalpride.
2. Watch “Stonewall Uprising”: The documentary examines the events surrounding the Stonewall riots that began June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City and jump-started the LGBTQ civil rights movement. Stream at www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/stonewall/.
3. Give back: “The Trump administration continues to wage a war against the LGBTQ community, especially the trans community,” Bryan said, noting specifically the Trump administration rollback of a clause in the Affordable Care Act that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability and defined in 2016 as applying to gender identity. The new rule effectively eliminates these protections.
Another ruling would “allow homeless shelters and service providers to deny critical services based on an individual’s gender identity and expression. And when the subject of Black Lives Matter is discussed, unfortunately the Black trans community continues to be left out of the conversation, and they need support now more than ever,” Bryan said.
Her suggestion for celebrating Pride is to offer support to TransYOUniting (www.transyounitingpgh.org/), a Pittsburgh outreach, education, training and advocacy group, and True T Pgh (www.truetpgh.com), which celebrates queer people of color through creative art, entertainment, resource sharing and activism.
In case you missed it
An annual Pittsburgh rite of Pride has been the Arcade Comedy Theater presentation of a gender-swapped “Golden Girls” show. While the theater remains shuttered, Arcade Comedy @ Home is up and running with numerous education and entertainment possibilities, including “The Golden Girls: Very Pandemic Special.”
Written by Josh Kilmer-Purcell and produced by actor-director Connor McCanlus — who plays Rose, Betty White’s role in the TV series — the cast also include Brian Edward as Sophia, Bill Mason as Blanche and Jason Shavers as Dorothy. Watch at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8WlkiAXDxp0.