Queer NEPA hosts ‘Queer Night In’ live stream on June 27 for LGBTQ Pride Month
From a press release:
Local LGBTQ+ activists Queer NEPA typically celebrate national LGBTQ Pride Month with a series of events across Northeastern Pennsylvania every June. The coronavirus pandemic has changed those plans this year, but not canceled them.
On Saturday, June 27 at 7 p.m., Queer NEPA will host “Queer Night In: A Charity Livestream” on the group’s Facebook page featuring live music and poetry by LittleStarRun, Travis Love Benson, Taylor Eason, Monica Noelle, and more.
The online show is free for LGBTQ viewers and allies alike, though donations are strongly encouraged to benefit the NEPA Youth Shelter, a nonprofit organization that opened an after-school drop-in center in Scranton to provide important resources for high school students in need.
Similarly, the Big Gay StorySlam, an event also held in conjunction with Pride Month, the Scranton Fringe Festival, and Queer NEPA, was supposed to take place at the Scranton Cultural Center on Saturday, June 6, but instead, the storytelling event’s host Pissi Myles will perform in a live drag show that night on the Scranton Fringe Facebook page from 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Under normal circumstances, Queer NEPA would be holding its third annual Pride Series, but they made the decision to cancel this year out of concern for the safety and well-being of those in the community. Organizers hope to continue events for Pride Month next year.
LGBTQ Pride Month celebrates queer identity in remembrance of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which was a pivotal movement in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.
Queer NEPA is a grassroots organization dedicated to culture, community, and justice. It was founded on June 12, 2018 by trans activist Em Maloney with the mission to advocate peace and LGBTQ rights in Northeastern Pennsylvania. With a platform rooted in progressive and socialist values, the group also stand for reproductive justice, harm reduction, and the abolition of poverty. Queer NEPA aims to carry out its mission through volunteerism, activism, and coalition building.
The mission of the NEPA Youth Shelter is to provide quality emergency shelter and related services to unaccompanied youth ages 14 through high school graduation from all counties in NEPA. The shelter provides essentials such as food, clothing, and bathrooms, as well as services such as educational support, counseling, family reunification, and/or preparation for independent living. With a focus on social justice and advocacy, the shelter welcomes youth from all backgrounds and especially affirming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth, as this population constitutes a high percentage of homeless youth in the area.
