Pride Month is always a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. This year especially, it’s also a time to stand in solidarity and resistance. That hearkens back to the very first NYC Pride March in 1970, which started as an annual demonstration to mark the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
“GMHC participates in New York City’s LGBTQ+ Pride events every year to celebrate the important contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness of our continuing social justice work to address homophobia, transphobia, racism, stigma, discrimination, violence, and other critical issues,” said Community Relations Director Krishna Stone.
This year, GMHC’s staff, clients, supporters, and friends are joining in Pride Month events across the city, including the New Queens Pride Parade in Jackson Heights on Sunday, June 1, the Brooklyn Night Pride Parade in Prospect Park on Saturday, June 14, the Harlem Pride Festival on Saturday, June 28, and the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 29. We are looking forward to NYC Black Pride events in August.
The GMHC Testing Center staff will provide free HIV and STI testing at several Pride Month events, especially on National HIV Testing Day on Friday, June 27.
GMHC also held its annual HIV & Aging Conference on Friday, June 6 and the agency will host the iconic Latex Ball on Saturday, June 21 at Terminal 5. This eagerly anticipated event for the Ballroom community also provides free HIV testing and sexual health information.
Since 1989, the Latex Ball has been an important part of GMHC’s programs, providing a strong sense of community for mostly Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ youth and adults in the House and Ball community. This year’s theme, “One Thousand Nights,” celebrates life by showcasing the imaginative talents, strength, love, support, unity, and hope of the House and Ball community.
The competition categories will inspire the utmost in creative expression, from “A Night of a Thousand Zodiacs” to “A Night of a Thousand Bob Mackie(s)” to “A Night of a Thousand Extra Terrestrials.” May the magic and power of a thousand nights continue through these tumultuous times!
NYC Pride March Comeback!
GMHC is excited to make a comeback for the NYC Pride March – and we’ll be returning in full force, with a float, music from DJ Trevor Fox, and a contingent of enthusiastic cheerleaders for the agency. Our banner for the march, emblazoned with “GMHC – We Won’t Stop,” signals our resilience and determination since the agency’s inception in 1982.
Last year, GMHC boycotted the NYC Pride March with several other HIV and AIDS services organizations because of a proposed $5.3 million in HIV and AIDS funding cuts in the NYC executive budget. We mobilized our community and allies to protest the cuts, including a rally on the steps of NYC City Hall. Our advocacy paid off. The NYC Council restored the funding in its FY2025 city budget – and, in a major development, made it a permanent part of the city budget.
“GMHC was born out of a crisis. In addition to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, we’ve dealt with the opioid epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, and outbreaks of meningitis and MPOX,” Stone said. “We have the wisdom and experience to navigate whatever it takes.”
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