If there’s one thing you can say about the LGBTQ+ community, it’s that we’re resilient, flexible and hard to keep down. Because of the COVID-19 health pandemic, the 40th Annual Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade was quickly rescheduled for November 7-8, 2020, the original date for the Rainbows Festival. With this date change in mind, a coalition of Arizona LGBTQ+ organizations held a quickly put together meeting to coordinate and present the first Virtual Arizona Pride, a weekend of live stream events featuring drag performances, comedy, and music as well as events focused on education, political advocacy, and mental health.
“It’s important for organizers and event producers to find alternative ways to engage our community right now. We all need to stay connected, and going virtual is a great way for people to participate and stay engaged with each other. NCSF is proud to be a part of the first Virtual Pride weekend, and we hope to help make it a huge success.” — Susan Wright, NCSF Spokesperson