Photos from Cincinnati Pride 2019
Written by Mario Pellegrino, Senior Library Services Assitant, Delhi Branch Library and Megan Powell, Senior Library Services Assistant, Madisonville Branch Library
This Pride Month started out differently than those in recent memory—major celebrations have been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, nationwide protests against police brutality and for Black liberation fill the streets, and uncertainty is the norm. 2020 has been a year of worldwide loss and suffering, and the need to connect is as important as ever.
"It's important to remember that Pride started in 1969 as a protest, a rebellion lead by trans women and queer women of color like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major Griffin Gracey, Stormé DeLarverie, and many others," said Julia Gardiner, Senior Library Services Assistant at the Clifton Branch Library. "The Library is striving to do better, not only during Pride Month, but throughout the year at honoring those leaders by highlighting resources and holding events that acknowledge how those marginalized within the LGBTQ+ community continue to suffer disproportionately 50 years later even while celebrating kinship in Pride and civil rights gains."
In the past, opens a new window, all our branches and departments have created beautiful and engaging displays celebrating LGBTQ+ lives and hosted programs and conversations to celebrate Pride throughout the past few years. After last year’s Pride parade, staff who participated in the parade began an email chain to propose participating in the larger Cincinnati LGBTQ+ community in a more sustained way throughout the year.
The group met for the first time over a virtual meeting in March of this year. Since the group’s first meeting coincided with the Library’s closure, there was an immediate need to compile both virtual wellness resources and digital content from LGBTQ+ artists available through the Library’s catalog, databases, and digital resources. They’ve since been working on a number of projects including a Virtual Pride Parade, a Trans Wellness Community Conversation virtual program, and blog posts highlighting queer poets.
Looking forward, the group will be dedicating attention and energy to events highlighting social connectively within the LGBTQ+ community. Keep an eye out for an upcoming call to action to participate in the Virtual Pride Parade and other ways to connect with LGBTQ+ and allied Library staff, community members, and local organizations!
Upcoming Events
Virtual Community Conversation: Trans Wellness: Staying Safe & Well During COVID-19 & Beyond
Thursday, June 11, 2020, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Saturday, June 20, 2020, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Stay tuned for more in the coming months!
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