Buffalo Pride Month will look a bit different this year, but some are touting it as an opportunity for advocacy groups to take more of a central role.
While there will be the annual parade kicking off Pride Month, Evergreen Health is adjusting its overall involvement this year. Evergreen Health Chief Administrative Officer Justin Azzarella says the health system is filling a more appropriate role while still helping with Pride Month events.
“We've heard a lot from that community, from different organizations and individuals saying that they want to feel something different for pride in Buffalo, and we've also seen that across the country, I think, particularly at some of the larger pride festivals, moving away from things that maybe feel a bit more corporate and getting back to more grassroots events.”
Azzarella says scaling back their resources from other parts of Pride Month allows Evergreen to invest more resources and volunteers into the parade portion.
Gay and Lesbian Youth Services Western New York Executive Director Jack Kavanaugh says one advantage this year is having events spread out across multiple days and locations, instead of the singular festival that has recently been at Canalside.
“It allows us to create different pockets and spaces that accommodate and cater to all of those different pieces of the community, rather than trying to make everything make sense in one big event. So for us, you know, we're excited to have a dedicated space for young people, for families to come to that they feel like they can come and kind of bring their young children and feel safe and comfortable.”
One important effort is continuing to embrace the Intersect Pride Arts Festival from noon to 8 p.m. May 31 on Allen Street, he said. Kavanaugh sees it as an expression for the queer community, but also a means to remember founding member Mickey Harmon, who was killed in an alleged break-in earlier in the year.
Other Pride Month events:
- One Love: Pride parade after party, 2 to 7 p.m. June 1
- Rocky Horror Pride Show, 8 to 10 p.m. at The Screening Room in Amherst
- Buffalo Drag Story Hour, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. June 21 at Buffalo Crane Branch Library
More events throughout Pride Month can be found at the calendar on Buffalo Pride's website.
