By John Hayden
Sweaty dudes dancing to EDM at 11 in the morning, drag queens lip-synching their way up and down The Drive, and more rainbows than the marketing department at Lucky Charms. Pride Month is here, it’s queer and you better get used to it.
The L, the G, the B, and the T each brings something special. But today we focus on the Q. As in Quirky. Not all Prides are big city parties with a vodka sponsor. Some are so proudly unique they deserve a rainbow-draped shoutout.
Polar Pride
There’s something so natural about penguins and pride. The flightless fowl now share Antarctica with a few hundred humans in settlements dotting the world’s largest desert, and they love celebrating Polar Pride.
Celebrated in November at the U.K. base, this year will mark the 66th anniversary of astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny’s fight against workplace discrimination.
At Port Lockroy, the Progressive Pride flag flies proudly under the Union Jack. Scientists manning the station celebrate in the snow waving rainbow banners while penguins waddle in the background. There is even a Pride Rock.
First Nation/Native American Pride
2Spirit, or 2S Prides stand out for their culturally holistic traditions. Many tribes hold 2S powwows and other events. Some First Nations, including the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, create and raise their own Pride flags, incorporating traditional symbols unique to their communities.
With National Indigenous Peoples Day falling in the heart of Pride month (June 21), it is a perfect intersection of Indigenous heritage and LGBTQIA+.
Locally, the Seminole tribe holds its Tribal Fair and Powwow in late January or early February.
Out in Africa
A sleepy, small town becomes gay central. Pink Loerie Mardi Gras takes over Knysna, Western Cape, in South Africa in early May. This Pride dates back to 2000 and incorporates the fun, colorful traditions of Mardi Gras with the fun, colorful traditions of South Africa to create a supercharged fun, colorful four-day party.
It was started by businesses to boost the slow southern hemisphere autumn months. Sort of like the Strawberry Social in Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, but with drag queens involved from the get-go.
The country, once a pariah for its racist policies, embraced marriage equality in 2006 and remains the only nation in Africa to do so.
Just the Tip (of Europe)
Gibraltar has more than a rock. It has Pride. Slightly bigger than Wilton Manors, it has three times the population and every year they party.
This will be the fifth year for Gibraltar Pride. Citizens march up Main Street and end up in Casemates Square. Unlike Wilton Manors, the British protectorate is remote (Main Street closes whenever a plane lands), so it doesn’t have suburbanites popping in for a Pride party.
So while LGBTQIA+ from Wilton, NYC and Chicago celebrate big city style, don’t forget that gay is everywhere, even some of the most far-flung reaches on Earth. And with plans for a moon base, Lunar Pride can’t be far behind.
