Pride organizations around the world have come together to organize a “Global Pride” event on Saturday, June 27, in response to the hundreds of Pride celebrations that have had to be cancelled or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be live-streamed, and people will be invited to join in the event from home.

Organizers explained that Global Pride will use online platforms to “deliver a Pride in which everyone can participate, wherever they are in the world.” The online event will include musical performances, speeches and “key messages from human rights activists.”

InterPride and the European Pride Organisers Association — the world’s biggest international Pride networks — are working with national organizations in Canada, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the U.S. as well as regional networks in southern Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America, “to bring communities and Pride organizations together for this Global Pride event.”

  1. Andrew Baker, co-president of Interpride, said, “We need community and connection more than ever. This gives us an opportunity to both connect and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community’s resilience in the face of this pandemic and the true spirit of Pride.

“Pride 2020 represents a milestone for Pride events, with many honoring the 50th anniversary of their first gatherings and marches, such as New York to the first Gandhinagar Pride this year, and we would not let that pass without recognition and celebration,” he added.

Kristine Garina, president of the European Pride Organisers Association and chair of Baltic Pride in Riga, Latvia, said, “The unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 mean that most Prides will not take place as planned in 2020, but we’re determined that this won’t stop us from coming together as a united, strong LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate who we are and what we stand for.”

Ron deHarte, co-president of the United States Association of Prides, noted, “Annual Pride events in the United States engage and unite 20 million people who gather to celebrate the strength and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community and to raise awareness for social justice and equal rights of all individuals. Through the pain and disruption caused by the novel coronavirus, we will deliver a virtual message of hope, comfort, love and we will have an opportunity to show our appreciation to first responders everywhere.”

Pride Organizations from around the world are encouraged to participate. Prides can express interest to participate here.