No Fear: Pittsburgh’s Pride Revolution 2023
By Olivia Miller
With Pride Month starting on Wednesday, Pittsburgh is throwing its annual Pride March and Parade this weekend. Now in its fiftieth year of celebrating the city’s LGBTQ+ community, it is bigger and better than ever.
From June 2nd to the 4th, there will be events all around the city from Downtown to the North Shore and up to Bloomfield. The weekend kicks off on Thursday with AIDS Free Pittsburgh’s Too Hot For July event taking place on the 66th block of Hamilton Avenue in Homewood. The event features not only free HIV testing but also local DJs, dance battles, and a special performance by rap icon, DreamDoll.
On Saturday at noon, Pittsburgh’s Pride March and Parade will take place starting near the Strip District and ending at the Allegheny Commons Park West on the North Shore. For the first time ever, mascots from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates will be present carrying Pride flags and wearing rainbow accented attire. The march will be led by Grand Marshal La’Tasha Mayes, who is the first openly lesbian state representative and also the founder and executive director of New Voices for Reproductive Justice, a health-focused organization. Spectators of the parade can expect to see LGBTQ+ motorcyclists leading the parade, drag queens and kings, and, of course, Pittsburgh’s iconic gigantic Pride flag.
Though the fun and celebration doesn’t end there; all throughout the weekend, there will be performances in Bloomfield and the North Shore. This year, The Marigolds, Haviah Mighty, and Manni Dibiachi will headline the festivities. There will also be performances from an array of singers, rappers, drag queens and kings, comedians, and even poets.
Also be sure to catch Row House Cinema’s Pride Week Film Series which includes LGBTQ+ films like Polyester, Joyland, and Queen of the Desert. You don’t want to miss performances by Ava Max, FLETCHER, Jordy, and Betty Who at Pride on the Shore on June 3rd at Stage AE. For more information on the Pride Parade, visit here and for more Pride Week events, visit here.
