Phoenix Pride Continues Pride Month Celebrations Online
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LAUREN GILGER: June is Pride Month, when LGBTQ communities all over the world celebrate. But last month's Pride Parade here in Phoenix was postponed until the fall like so many other events due to COVID-19. And now celebrations of all kinds are being moved into the virtual space as our local pride organization grapples with the pandemic. But they're not letting it get them down — not entirely, at least. I spoke with Mike Fornelli more about it. He's the executive director of Phoenix Pride and owner of the bar BS West in Scottsdale.
MIKE FORNELLI: So in lieu of holding our physical event April 4 and 5, we were able to partner with Gayborhood's Phoenix and do a virtual Gayborhood Phoenix at just ... Pride event over the weekend that we were supposed to have the physical event. So we were able to engage our community, our performers — mostly local performers and local leaders — and be able to hold a virtual event that weekend, which turned out great.
GILGER: So this month is Pride Month. What is Phoenix Pride doing in the virtual realm to try and celebrate?
FORNELLI: So we have paired with Virtual Arizona Pride, which is actually a coalition of all of the Arizona Pride organizations — Phoenix Pride, Tucson Pride, Flagstaff Pride, Bisbee Pride — and Virtual Arizona during this entire month of June are highlighting different organizations, different leaders, different entertainers. Every morning at 8:30 a.m., somebody within one of those communities or organizations has sent in a virtual video which is highlighted and released in the morning. And we're kind of celebrating that way to get everybody exposure.
GILGER: Have you been able to sort of have the same feelings around this, get some reaction from the community, at least get people engaged a little bit since you can't do it the way you normally do?
FORNELLI: Yeah. You know, our, our community is pretty close-knit. And when things like this happen, you know, they want to see what's going on. They hop on.
GILGER: So are there things about the pandemic that has changed things for the LGBTQ community here in the — in Phoenix? Are there things that people aren't thinking about that are cropping up that are kind of challenging?
FORNELLI: So, you know, obviously the, the biggest thing is any event having to be postponed has been an issue. But I think bigger for the LGBTQ community is that none of the LGBTQ bars are able to open for our youth. This would be summer camp time for like one-n-ten and the other LGBTQ youth organizations. So it, it is you know, it's kind of difficult. Everybody is, is stranded at home and not getting that physical interaction that everybody is used to. So the one big challenge for our community is that just a lot of people don't know what to do. And daily we get, see messages and hear from people that, you know, "I want to see somebody. I want, I want to talk to somebody." And we've been getting a lot more phone calls here at the Pride office for people that just wanted to touch base with somebody and physically speak to somebody instead of being on social media 24 hours a day.
GILGER: So maybe there are some upsides here. I wonder if you've been able to, to look at it in a positive light in some way and enable to maybe globally connect with Pride and see the community in a different way?
FORNELLI: Yeah, I think, you know, because of the situation, I think people are reaching out more and actually talking and having conversations as opposed to being behind a keyboard or that kind of stuff. But we also June 27, InterPride, which is an organization of Prides all over, are holding a global pride virtual event. So every Pride organization all over the world, it is having an opportunity to take part in that. And I think that's, that's a great thing, right? We can't afford, or some of our folks can't afford or don't have the time to go to Europe or go here, go there. And being that we can have this global event and see what goes on all over the world and communicate with people all over the world is something that's pretty amazing.
GILGER: Yeah. All right. Well, you're going to end The Show. So can you give us your favorite Pride song right now? What's something you can take us out on for a song?
FORNELLI: I think "We Are Family" is, is something that is very indicative of this time. I think people are all coming together. And even though they can't physically be with their family, they're trying to support everybody as family, and I think that's a great — it's a pride anthem, right? And I think it fits the situation.
GILGER: All right. We'll take us out on that. That is Mike Fornelli, executive director of Phoenix Pride and the owner of BS West in Scottsdale. Mike, thank you so much for coming on The Show.
FORNELLI: Thank you.
