Arts & Entertainment
Regional Pride events continue through June and beyond
Pittsburgh and Philly are this weekend; Baltimore, New York to follow
Baltimore Pride (Washington Blade photo by Chris Jennings)
Many jurisdictions within a few hours’ driving time from Washington have Pride events planned in the coming weeks.
Apparently there’s drama in Pittsburgh. The Delta Foundation, the group that’s been organizing Pride there since 2008, concludes its 10-day series of Pride events this weekend but several groups have siphoned off planning separate events claiming the foundation is “too focused on cisgender white gay men,” according to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburghpride.org was dead as of Blade press time.
Philadelphia’s is also this weekend. The Philly Gay Pride Parade and Festival is June 10 at 11 a.m. It begins at 13th and Locust Street and ends at the festival location, the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. Admission to the festival is $15. For more information, visit phillygaypride.org.
Baltimore Pride “United We Shine,” is from June 15-17. The Pride Parade is June 16 from 1-3 p.m. The procession begins at N.Charles and 33rd St. and ends at N.Charles and 23rd St. Following the parade is the Block Party in Station North. The Pride Festival is on June 17 from noon- 6 p.m. At Druid Hill Park. The festival is kid-friendly, and features performers, exhibitors, a Drag Stage, and local food trucks. Headliners for the weekend include Miami TIP, TT the Artist, Taylor Bennett on Saturday, and Tish Hyman on Sunday. For more events and information, visit baltimorepride.org.
Eastern Panhandle Pride is also June 15-17 in Shepherdstown, W.Va. There will be a vendor street fair on June 15, as well as a Pride River Float to Harpers Ferry. The unguided, flat water float is June 16 from 2-6 p.m. The cost is $36 per rider. Call 304-535-2663 to book. Search for the group on Facebook for details.
Panhandle Pride (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Hampton Roads Pride, “Stand Up, Stand Out,” is June 21-30 in Norfolk, Va. The week starts off with the Chrysler Kick-off on June 21 from 6-9 p.m. At the Chrysler Museum of Art (One Memorial Place, Norfolk, Va.). The festivities culminate with the Pride Block Party at the Norfolk Scope Arena (201 E. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va.) on June 29 from 7 p.m.-midnight. Tickets are $12 online before June 25 and $15 at the door. On June 30, there will be a Pride boat parade at noon at the Norfolk waterfront, followed by the Pridefest from noon-7 p.m. At Town Point Park. For more events and information, visit hamptonroadspride.org.
Frederick Pride, organized by the Frederick Center, an LGBT nonprofit, is June 23 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. At Carroll Creek Linear Park in Frederick, Md. About 7,000 attendees are expected. There will be bands, drag, DJs and dancing. Children’s activities such as face painting will be in a special Kid’s Tent, as well as organized youth sports and crafts. There will be a food court and a beer and wine area. An official Pride Store will be selling Pride paraphernalia to support programs at the local LGBT community center. Although Pride is only one day, there will also be a week of activities including a silent auction party, a proclamation ceremony at City Hall, Pride film festival, a Pride interfaith ecumenical service and Pride after party. For more information, visit proudout.com.
NYC Pride, “Defiantly Different,” is June 24. Pride Island, a live music event, is June 23 from 2-10 p.m. and 24 from 2-11 p.m. At Pier 97 Hudson River Park (57th St. and West Side Hwy., N.Y.). This year’s headliners are Tove Lo, Lizzo, DJ Simon Dunmore, Big Freedia, Sasha Velour, DJ Dawson, Kylie Minogue, DJ Grind, DJ Ralphi Rosario, and DJ Corey Craig. Fireworks will close out the event. PrideFest is June 24 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. At University Place (between 13th St. and Waverly Place, NY.). Ross Mathews is hosting and Alex Newell will perform. Parson James will perform the national anthem. For more events and information, visit nycpride.org.
New York City Pride (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A few more are later in the year.
Hagerstown Hopes, an LGBT nonprofit, is hosting the Hagerstown Pride Festival on July 14 from noon-6 p.m. The theme is “This is Me.” There will be live entertainment, speakers, vendors, and food. The festival is family friendly. Details on Facebook or at hagerstownhopesmd.org.
The Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival is Saturday, July 21, from 2-8 p.m. In Court Square in Harrisonburg, Va. Details at shenandoahvalleypride.org.
The 26th annual Pride Festival of Central PA is Saturday, July 28 in Harrisburg, Pa. Details at centralpapridefesetival.com.
VA Pridefest “This is Me” will be held Sept. 22 at Browns Island in Richmond, Va. Details at vapride.org.
Virginia Pride (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The 2018 Northern Virginia Pride Festival “United in Pride” is Sept. 29. Details at novapride.org.
NOVA Pride (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
No information yet on D.C. Youth Pride. It was held in early October in 2017 after being held in May for many years.
Youth Pride (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Books
New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex
‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more
‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages
Birds do it.
According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.
If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.
Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”
That might be because animals are not simply binary.
Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.
Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.
The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.
So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”
Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.
Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.
On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.
There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.
So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
The eighth annual Westminster Pride Festival was held at Westminster City Park in Westminster, Md. on Saturday, July 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The fifth annual Emerald City Pride was held in Greenbelt, Md. on Saturday, July 11.
(Washignton Blade photos by Michael Key)
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