HBO launches virtual Pride with 10-day celebration featuring Janelle Monáe, Todrick Hall, and more

By Britt Hayes | June 15, 2020 | 4:52pm

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HBO launches virtual Pride with 10-day celebration featuring Janelle Monáe, Todrick Hall, and more

Photo: Frazer Harrison

June is Pride month, and despite the ongoing pandemic keeping the LGBTQ community and its allies from celebrating with large gatherings, the festivities will go on… digitally. HBO’s Human By Orientation has launched Pride, a virtual platform offering “a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies to gather, recharge and celebrate our queerest, proudest selves.” The week-long celebration is free and open to anyone and everyone, with daily events and performances featuring Janelle Monáe, the cast of HBO’s We’re Here, Todrick Hall, Ryan Heffington, Cameron Esposito, and many more.

HBO and Human By Orientation announced the launch of Pride via an official release that begins by honoring the history of this month—specifically the activism of black and brown trans women, without whom Pride (and Pride) would not exist:

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Pride was, and is, a protest, originally led by black and brown trans women, fighting for all LGBTQIA+ people. It’s due to the activism of this oft overlooked community that Pride is the celebration we know today. Pride brings together the full spectrum of the queer family and it’s important—now more than ever—to stand in solidarity with those in need of support.

HBO’s Pride kicks off on June 18 with a dance party collab courtesy of famous L.A. warehouse event organizers Por Detroit x Ostbahnhof. On Friday June 19, Todrick Hall will host and perform in a special musical event to honor Juneteenth. “I am very excited to perform a one-of-a-kind set that not only celebrates Pride, but also lands on this hallowed day in the Black community,” said Hall. “Especially now, it’s so important for Black queer artists to have our voices heard. I’m so thankful to HBO for this platform.”

Shangela, Bob The Drag Queen, and Eureka O’Hara from HBO’s We’re Here will host a drag brunch on June 20, followed by a dance party from queer music collective Internet Friends. The Sweat Spot founder and acclaimed choreographer Ryan Heffington will kick off the morning of June 21 with one of his famous, sweaty dance parties; followed by an afternoon of queer comedy hosted by Cameron Esposito, including an interview with Esposito moderated by The A.V. Club’s Editor-in-Chief, Patrick Gomez. Throughout the week of June 22, HBO’s Pride will feature a Drag Queen Story Hour, a Vogue class led by the cast of Legendary, and a celebration of queer and trans people of color with art and music by Papi Juice. On Saturday, June 27, Kim Petras will perform an hour-long set, and the festivities will conclude on Sunday, June 28 with an intimate performance by Janelle Monáe.

For more information, including Spotify playlists and a free, downloadable “PRIDE Pack,” head to the official Human By Orientation site.