Ways to Celebrate Pride Month in Cincinnati
Written by Chris Pasion, graduate assistant to The Graduate School.
June is Pride Month! While the annual Pride Parade and Festival was cancelled again this year due to the pandemic, there will be a number of smaller events and happenings that will provide an opportunity to celebrate Pride Month despite the biggest festivities being put on hold. Masks are recommended at all of these events, particularly for individuals who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Cincinnati Opera’s Love is Love Truck Tour
This summer, Cincinnati Opera is going on tour from the back of a vintage pickup truck. The opera’s Share the Love Tour will be making the rounds around the community all summer, and they’ll be celebrating Pride Month with special, outdoor performances in partnership with local LGBTQIA+ musicians and organizations, including TreeHouse Cincinnati and GLSEN Greater Cincinnati.
The opera will be making stops this weekend at Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church on Friday at 1 p.m. and ARCO on Saturday at 1 p.m. Performers at each will include members of the opera and guests from partner organizations.
Pride Community Night with the Reds
The Cincinnati Reds will have their third annual Pride Night on Saturday, June 11th at 7:10 p.m. They’ll be playing against the Colorado Rockies and the pregame festivities will celebrate the local LGBTQIA+ community here in Cincinnati. Following the game will be a fireworks display. Discounted seating is available when you enter “PRIDE” as a coupon code. Be sure to buy your ticket ahead of time for a chance to receive a free pride hat. Portions of each ticket sold will be donated to Cincinnati Pride.
Virtual Town Hall: State of Black LGBTQ+ Cincinnati
Cincinnati Black Pride will be hosting a panel discussion on Wednesday, June 16th at 6 p.m. As per their website, the event is to discuss “living at the intersection of LGBTQ+ and Black identity during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The event will be livestreamed for free and requires registration to join. Another virtual town hall, Supporting the Transgender/Non-Binary, will take place the following week on Thursday, June 24th at 6 p.m. Be sure to check out these virtual events for dynamic and important discussions on identity that will take stock of where we are as a community and how we can progress.
The Pride Film Series at the Esquire
The historic Esquire Theatre on Ludlow Ave is showcasing free movies on Tuesdays during Pride Month. The Pride Film Series celebrates LGBTQIA+ stories with films that include Paris is Burning, Welcome to Chechnya, Ammonite, and Tangerine. Each showing will take place at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are available at the Esquire’s box office. The theatre will be limiting capacity to 25% to ensure that viewers can get enough space to safely enjoy.
For more free movies this summer, check out Washington Park’s Summer Cinema showings. Movies will be projected every Wednesday evening in the lawn throughout the summer.
Pride Market at Washington Park
Washington Park is host to the City Flea and a number of other outdoor markets that occur throughout the year. There will be a special Pride Market on Sunday June 27th from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. where over 20 LGBTQIA-owned, local vendors will be present, selling their clothing, artwork, food, and so on. Check out the event page for a full list of the businesses that will be present at the market.