The rainbows are beaming even brighter this June! After two years of at-home and on-screen celebrations for our LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Ally) community, this month welcomes a return to some much needed in-person Pride.
Largely headed by the J.Proud Consortium, the Philadelphia collective of Jewish organizations committed to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, the local Jewish community has a number of in-person and virtual opportunities that embrace love, acceptance and the freedom to be you.
Check out these six events to show your Pride:
Queeraoke
Thursday, June 2 | 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Register for address
Are you a natural entertainer? Are you mediocre at singing, but love it anyway? Are you ready to take your performances out of the shower and to a private outdoor space surrounded by fellow LGBTQIA+ Jews? If you answered yes to one or more of the above, then come to Tribe 12’s Queeraoke! This event is completely outdoors for COVID safety practices. To register, click here.
PHL Pride March
Sunday, June 5 | 11:00 a.m.
Departing from the Constitution Center on 5th and Arch Streets
Did you know it’s the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia’s first Gay Pride Day? While this year’s celebration will look different than previous years, show your Pride by marching with your Jewish LGBTQIA+ community. Radiate love and acceptance with each step you take as you stand alongside the J.Proud Consortium and constituents from its 44 member organizations and synagogues. To sign up, click here.
Ga(y)me Night: Sapphic Space Pirates
Friday, June 10 | 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Online Event
A queer-specific tabletop RPG (think Dungeons & Dragons), join Tribe12 and play Sapphic Space Pirates! This game was designed by LGBTQIA+ people, for LGBTQIA+ people, and all are welcome, regardless of whether or not you personally identify as “Sapphic.” To register, click here.
Pride Shabbat Dinner
Friday, June 10 | 7:30 p.m.
Congregation Rodeph Shalom
Welcome in Shabbat and Pride Month, a time which honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Sponsored by pRiSm, this event will feature a delicious catered dinner and the music of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Ensemble. Dinner is $36 per person. To register, click here.
Pride Picnic and Family Field Day
Sunday, June 12 | 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Register for address
Pack your picnic baskets for an afternoon celebration of Pride and community with fun field day games! Bring your picnic blanket, partners, friends, family, kids and your love for the LGBTQIA+ community. While this program begins at 2:00 p.m., consider coming an hour early to pick Juneberries (indigenous to Philadelphia) and to have a meaningful discussion about how understanding can lead to respect, acceptance and appreciation of LGBTQIA+ identities and environmental justice. To register, click here.
Pride Havdalah: LGBTQ Holocaust History Uncovered
Saturday, June 18 | 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th and 17th Streets
During this month of celebration and calls to action, let us honor and memorialize those who came before. Join Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia (JFCS), J.Proud Consortium, Jewish Graduate Student Network, Congregation Rodeph Shalom and Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation to remember the LGBTQIA+ individuals persecuted during the Holocaust. This program will include discussion and small learning groups, followed by a beautiful Havdalah ceremony. The ceremony will mark the end of Shabbat and our commitment to equality and inclusion so that these atrocities never happen again. To register, click here.
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Within Greater Philadelphia, one in ten Jewish households includes someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s 2019 population study. As a member of the J.Proud Consortium and a funder of organizations, programs and initiatives that support the LGBTQIA+ community, the Jewish Federation remains steadfast in its mission to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. You can support this work by making a gift by clicking here.