Author: Read with Pride

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: when we think of Pride today, we usually think of glitter, massive parade floats, high-energy circuit parties, and maybe a few too many overpriced vodka sodas. It’s a celebration, a party, and a beautiful display of “we are here.” But if we hop into a time machine and …

The First Pride: From Riot to RevolutionRead More

readwithpride.com As we cruise into March 2026, there’s a specific date on the calendar that deserves all the glitter, all the volume, and all the heart: March 31st. Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Here at Read with Pride, we’re not just marking a date; we’re throwing a digital block party for our siblings who represent …

Trans Day of Visibility: Celebrating Our TruthRead More

readwithpride.com If you grew up queer, the word “prom” probably carries a bit of weight. For some, it’s a memory of a night spent in a stiff tuxedo or an itchy dress, standing next to a “friend” who was actually just a cover, while your heart was really on the other side of the gymnasium. …

The Magic of Queer Prom: Healing the PastRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever found yourself in the French Quarter during Labor Day weekend, you know that the air hits different. It’s thick with humidity, the scent of jasmine, and an electric hum of excitement that can only mean one thing: Southern Decadence is in town. Often dubbed the “Gay Mardi Gras,” this isn’t just …

Southern Decadence: The Gay Mardi GrasRead More

readwithpride.com If you were to wander into Manhattan’s East Village on a sweltering Labor Day in the late 1980s, you wouldn’t just smell the street food and the exhaust of yellow cabs. You’d smell hairspray. Gallons of it. You’d see a sea of synthetic fiber stretching toward the skyline, neon heels clicking against the pavement, …

Wigstock: A Celebration of Drag, Hair, and HopeRead More

readwithpride.com Long before the ink was dry on the landmark legal papers of 2015, and well before the “mainstream” world decided our love was “official,” the LGBTQ+ community was already busy throwing some of the most meaningful weddings in history. We just didn’t call them weddings, at least not in front of the tax man. …

Commitment Ceremonies: Loving Louder Before EqualityRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever picked up one of our favorite MM romance books featuring a star quarterback or a brooding swimmer, you know there’s something uniquely electric about the intersection of sports and queer identity. But long before we had a library full of steamy MM romance featuring out-and-proud athletes, there was a real-world movement …

The Gay Games: Celebrating Athleticism and IdentityRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever walked down Folsom Street in San Francisco on a crisp September morning, you know the vibe. It’s a mix of heavy bass, the unmistakable scent of high-quality leather, and a sense of radical freedom that you just can’t find anywhere else. The Folsom Street Fair isn’t just a party; it’s a …

Folsom Street Fair: A Celebration of Leather and KinRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever found yourself dancing down Oxford Street in late February, covered in biodegradable glitter and surrounded by half a million of your closest friends, you know that the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is more than just a party. It’s a vibe, a pilgrimage, and a massive neon-lit “we’re here” to …

Mardi Gras Sydney: A Spark That Lit the SouthRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever been to Berlin or Cologne in the heat of summer, you’ve probably seen it: a sea of rainbows, pounding techno, and enough glitter to be seen from space. But if you asked a local what was going on, they wouldn’t just say “Pride.” They’d call it Christopher Street Day, or CSD. …

Christopher Street Day: Germany’s Pride LegacyRead More

readwithpride.com When we think of the 1920s, we usually picture the Great Gatsby: champagne towers, flappers, and Leo DiCaprio toasted us with a martini. But if you really wanted to see the magic happen, you had to head uptown to New York City. The Harlem Renaissance wasn’t just a “vibe”; it was a full-blown cultural …

The Harlem Renaissance: Nightlife as LiberationRead More

readwithpride.com There’s something almost religious about sitting in a darkened theater, the smell of overpriced popcorn in the air, waiting for the lights to dim. But for us, it’s more than just a movie night. When the screen flickers to life at a queer film festival, we aren’t just looking at actors; we’re looking at …

Queer Film Festivals: Celebrating Our Stories on ScreenRead More

readwithpride.com There’s something inherently queer about the turning of the seasons. If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t quite fit into the rigid boxes of traditional organized religion, you aren’t alone. For decades, members of our community have been looking toward the stars, the moon, and the ancient rhythms of the earth to find a …

Solstice Spirits: Pagan Roots in Modern Queer JoyRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever scrolled through the history of LGBTQ+ nightlife, you’ve probably seen the photos: a sea of thousands of people, all dressed in pristine, head-to-toe white, dancing under the moonlight in Miami. It looks like a dream, a literal heaven on earth. But the White Party wasn’t just a high-fashion circuit event or …

The White Party: A Legacy of HIV/AIDS AwarenessRead More

readwithpride.com Mark your calendars, babes, because May 17th isn’t just another Tuesday (or whatever day it lands on in your corner of the world). It’s the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: or IDAHOTB, IDAHOBIT, or simply a day to shout from the rooftops that we are here, we are queer, and we aren’t …

International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHOT): A Global Celebration of ResilienceRead More

readwithpride.com If you think a birthday celebration involves a lukewarm slice of supermarket cake and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” that sounds more like a funeral dirge, you clearly haven’t spent enough time in the ballroom scene. In the world of ballroom, a birthday isn’t just a marker of another trip around the sun; it’s …

Ballroom Birthdays: The Ultimate Celebration of ExcellenceRead More

readwithpride.com If there is one event that is etched into the DNA of the queer women’s community, it’s The Dinah. Imagine this: The scorching California sun, the shimmering blue of a Palm Springs pool, and thousands of queer women, non-binary folks, and allies all occupying the same space, unapologetically. We aren’t just talking about a …

The Dinah: Celebrating Lesbian Culture in the DesertRead More

readwithpride.com When we think about the pioneers of our community, a few names always rise to the top of the list. But if there’s one person who truly embodied the transition from “hiding in the shadows” to “standing in the spotlight,” it’s Harvey Milk. Every year on May 22nd, we celebrate Harvey Milk Day: not …

Harvey Milk Day: Celebrating a VisionaryRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: as queer people, we’ve spent a large chunk of our lives scanning the “General Fiction” shelves at bookstores like we’re looking for a secret code. We’re hunting for that one character who looks like us, loves like us, or maybe just has a slightly too-long lingering look at …

Queer Book Clubs: Celebrating Literacy and ConnectionRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: for a lot of us in the LGBTQ+ community, birthdays haven’t always been “piece of cake” moments. Maybe it was a tense dinner with parents who didn’t quite get it, or a childhood party where you felt like you were playing a character in your own life. But …

Chosen Family Birthdays: Crafting Our Own TraditionsRead More