Wishing you a bright and beautiful new year!!
Happy New Year
On A Grey Thread
In 1923 Lesbian Elsa Gidlow, born in England, published the first volume of openly lesbian love poetry in the United States, titled “On A Grey Thread.”
Happy Holidays
Wishing you a magical and festive holiday season from our pride family to yours.
First Pro-Gay Film
1919 The film Different from the Others is released. It is the first pro-gay film in the world.
Indigenous Identity and the Significance of the Term “Two-Spirit”
An inside look at the origins of the term “Two-Spirit,” and the centuries of colonial violence and prejudice Two-Spirit people have faced.
Be Part of History NYC Pride 2019
A follow up to the Dec 4th announcement
The River of Pride Flag and The Unity Pride Flag have been invited by NYC Pride to be a part of a historical moment in time. This June 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first time in our history that WorldPride will be hosted by the USA all to take part in this celebration.
Describing the feeling of an invitation to be a part of history, a once in a lifetime event with WorldPride, Stonewall 50th and NYC Pride altogether is more than an immense honor. One we are proud to share with everyone!
A community coming together
After announcing our participation in NYC Pride we received an outpour of support and people looking to volunteers to march. The River of Pride Flag is looking for around 600 people to walk with it and The Unity Pride Flag will need around 100. If you’d like to join us in NYC for the march please signup here by filling out the form asking for your email and name. This info is a requirement for NYC in order to be let into the march and with take less than a minute. This info will be shared with the NYC police for safety reasons.
Stay informed by joining the WorldPride NYC 2019 Facebook Group. A hotel & bus package is being worked on by a friend of the flag and will be posted in the group when ready. It’s NYC so don’t hesitate as the first hotel we reserved for our group sold out in less then four hours. People have been having good luck with AirBnB as well.
Thinking about your NYC travel plans
On average 2 million spectators attend the march in NYC for Pride with 46 thousand people marching. This coming pride they are expecting 5 to 6 million spectators. What that means for people getting in and out of the city is a lot of traffic.
If you’ll be driving, try to give yourself extra time getting there. Some have said to expect up to 4 hours of added traffic. Peak travel will be Saturday and Sunday so if possible you may want to add on a day either side of those for an easier trip.
Have you thought about your stay yet? The hotel rooms in the city will soon be filling up before you know it if they haven’t started already started so you’ll want to get your room very soon. If you’re driving the same goes for parking. Many parking garages now offer online reservations so you know a spot will be ready for you when you arrive.
Contact us at info@theriverofpride.com
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
The History And Meaning Of The Rainbow Pride Flag
OVER 40 YEARS, THE ICONIC, SIX-STRIPE FLAG HAS GENERATED A MYTHOLOGY OF ITS OWN.
Stroll across any number of cities throughout June, and you’ll find the near-ubiquitous presence of the rainbow pride flag, which has come to represent the LGBTQ community worldwide. This year alone, the iconic, six-stripe pattern has been seen in children’s books, at theme parks and on a seemingly endless series of clothing lines; a revamped version of the design was worn by “Master of None” writer and star Lena Waithe as a “queer superhero” cape at the Met Gala last month in New York.
The original rainbow pride flag dates back to 1978, when it was created by San Francisco-based queer artist Gilbert Baker for a mere $1,000. A self-described “geeky kid from Kansas,” Baker relocated to San Francisco as an Army draftee in 1970. After an honorable discharge from the military, he decided to remain in the City by the Bay to pursue a design career.
Continue reading “The History And Meaning Of The Rainbow Pride Flag”RAINBOW PRIDE The Story of the Rainbow Flag
Understanding Pronouns Better
With our growing need for a larger selection of pronouns, keep in mind that assuming a person’s pronoun can be a sign of disrespect when misgendering them and can create an un-inclusive environment. Using the right pronouns is an important part of respecting someone’s identity and to show respect for an individuals diversity of gender identity and promote awareness.
When in doubt ask. People want to be identified correctly so if you’re unsure politely ask “what pronouns do you use”. This is a good time for you to offer your prefered pronouns even if you think they already know.
If you make a mistake don’t worry, it happens. Apology then use the correct pronoun for them. Try not making them feel uncomfortable or the need to explain why use that pronoun.
Using the correct pronoun comes easy to some and for others pronouns that fall outside the gender binary might take time to pick up. Being taught as a young person that you only have he/him and she/her to use can be challenging to add they/them, ze/hir and ze/zir to a vocabulary. With gender being more fluid having a better understanding of pronouns will help you and those around you.
Only a few pronouns have been referenced here, you can find more by doing a search for Gender Pronouns
WorldPride NYC Invites The River of Pride and The Unity Pride Flags to Stonewall 50th
Featured image by Justin Childs
The Friends of The River of Pride and The Unity Flags are very excited to share that the much-loved River of Pride Flag and the not-yet unfurled Unity Flag are going to NYC Pride March to welcome WorldPride to the United States on Sunday, June 30, 2019. And, we bring the flags as symbols to remember and celebrate a half-century of LGBTQQIP2SAA+ liberation and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
The flags stand for inclusivity, compassion, respect, love, freedom for everyone to be who they are — and to fight for the rights of all people to be themselves.
The River of Pride flag is a 900’ long rainbow flag. It was born of struggle, love, and the desire to unite the LGBTQQIP2SAA+ community. It began as a 125’ flag in 2006, then in 2007, a 175’ panel was added and finally in 2008, three 200’ sections were added. It was a labor of love, with the five panels connected with 22’ long commercial zippers. The goal of the flag is celebrate together and support one another.
Earlier this year (2018), The Unity Pride Flag idea was created to embrace and
recognize the unique expressions of LGBTQQIP2SAA+ self-identity while being a push to a more inclusive future. It is a patchwork quilt, with nearly 300 3’ x 5’ flags, that display our individuality while connecting and supporting us as a whole. Our goal for the flag to encourage intersectionality and unity in our community and, especially, to bring people who have not felt heard or included in the past.
You may be asking; what can I do? Great question! Consider joining us at New York City to carry one of the flags. We will need hundreds of volunteers. Please register here – it’s easy and, of course, be available, June 30, 2019!
Like us on Facebook:
Twitter:
Connect with us at info@theriverofpride.com