Arts & Entertainment
Cleveland cancels Pride amid safety concerns
the city has celebrated annually since 1989
(Photo via Flickr)
Cleveland’s 28th annual Pride celebration has been cancelled due to the “changing social climate,” according to Cleveland Pride organizers.
In a statement released on Cleveland Pride’s official website, President and CEO of Cleveland Pride Todd Saporito detailed the reasons behind the decision.
“We have been entrusted by our community to create a secure parade and festival environment for our LGBTQ brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, friends and allies. Because of the changing social climate, Cleveland Pride did not have enough time to engage in the development of awareness programs and training that we believe is critical in today’s environment. Therefore, we regretfully cancelled our 28th annual parade, rally and festival this year,” Saporito said in a statement.
The statement continued that “Pride is not a one-day celebration, but a daily act of visibility throughout our community.”
Cleveland Pride has promised to refund vendors and retailers.
Ken Schneck, host of nationally syndicated radio show “This Show is So Gay” and a Cleveland local, spoke with Cleveland.com about his disappointment and frustration over the celebration’s cancellation.
“I was floored. I got choked up, and I was pretty angry and sad with everything that we’ve dealt with lately,” Schneck told Cleveland.com. “It was not great to be gay in Cleveland last week.”
Schneck also noted that Cleveland Pride had already been rescheduled to accommodate for the Republican National Convention.
“There is much to celebrate here and much community time needed. For so many individuals in our Cleveland LGBTQ community, Cleveland Pride is either their first opportunity or only day the whole year to be both out and their fully realized selves. For all of us, it is an opportunity to be visible and to be together. Of course we can experience pride every day of the year, but the cancellation of this one day of pure and utter community is a deep, deep loss,” Schneck continued.
Other outraged members of the community have started a petition to have Saporito removed as CEO of Cleveland Pride.
Cleveland has celebrated Pride every year since 1989.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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