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Pride is going to look a little different this year. No huge parties, no parades, no movie screenings or beach barbecues — but for all the queer families out there celebrating, we can still make this Pride special. Figuring out how to have a pride parade at home will be tricky, but it will also be a lot of fun.
If you're fortunate enough to live in an area with a large gay community, you might be able to organize a driving parade that will go past housebound queers, young gay people with less access, and the general community of fun-havers at large. However, if you live somewhere this might be difficult or even dangerous to contemplate, first of all, I am sorry that you are not able to do so. That is unfair and wrong. You are beautiful, our community is beautiful, and next year, Pride will be a real rager. But you might consider simply decorating your house, making the gayest cupcakes you can (and yes, I am fully aware at how redundant the phrase "gay cupcakes" is), and break out the Shera costumes you wore for Halloween, because it's about to get real queer in your casa.
I've been going to Pride every year since I was 17 years old. To imagine a Pride without a parade, without fun femmes in glitter, SAGE elders passing out information, and a crew of Dykes on Bikes is almost unimaginable to me. But the queer community knows more than perhaps any other what one tiny virus can do when it runs through people unchecked. That's why without a second's hesitation, Pride organizers across the world said, "Not this year." So we're going virtual. We're all celebrating in our own homes, in our own ways, and to have a Pride parade at home is the best, kindest, and most radical thing we can do.
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Step One: Gay Up Your House — Even If It's Already Terribly Gay Just By Your Presence
Yes, I have my Audre Lorde prints and Oscar Wilde books. I have ostentatious rainbows hanging about. And that doesn't even get into my collection of house plants and St Vincent-Millay poetry. But did I have a decorative wreath? No, no I did not. Well guess what? I do, now.
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Get Baking
OK, the gorgeous rainbow cake pictured above? It's not that hard, but it's not simple, either. You know what's 10 times easier? Rainbow cupcakes. They're spoon and scoop. I love them. Plus, you can totally just use cake mix since they're all the same flavor.
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Get On That Driveway
Get your kids together and head out to your driveway or sidewalk. It's obviously time to color. Rainbows and unicorns and princesses kissing. If you're artistically inclined, you could do more.
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Movie Night
OK, you might want to wait until the kids go to bed to watch Rocky Horror and Moonlight, but the Ruby and Sapphire wedding episode of Steven Universe, or basically all of Shera? Yeah, get on that.
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You Know You're Going To TikTok
Make a real queer TikTok. Bonus, just by being queer and making a TikTok, you've already accomplished your goal. It might not be the best, but it'll probably be pretty funny if you have toddlers.
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One Word: Costumes
It doesn't need to be full Birdcage cosplay, but just because Pride is at home doesn't mean you should put away your rainbow gear. In fact, it just means you can now wear it comfortably without pants. What an unexpected delight. Bonus, Target has a ton of stuff already, and they're essential.
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Your House Can Even Smell Gay
These candles are scented with "fruity mango salsa." I'm into it. We'll call this "queer ambiance." Normally, the smell of Pride is a little bit sunscreen, a little piña colada, and more than a little pot. Since that's not a candle combo anyone wants, here is one that everyone will love.
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Family Crafts
I love a craft. I'm not good at them, but I love them, and these DIY rainbow wings from The Craft Train are more than perfect.
I suggest doing these outside. I learned earlier in the week that colored tissue paper bleeds. My whitewashed chair might never look the same again. Maybe I'll rainbow paint it.
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Concerts On YouTube
Recreate the live music by picking your favorite gay artist and watching one of their concerts on YouTube. I will be watching-drooling over Brandi Carlile. I will also be singing along, loudly, and no one will give me the hairy eyeball for doing it.
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Suncatchers
My kids have made a million of these suncatchers, and not only are they Pride AF, they're also just really pretty. They're simple to make, and don't make a ton of mess.
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Group Drive-By
Drive-by parades are huge right now. If you can get in contact with friends, family, and your community, you could absolutely take turns driving by friends' houses. Just make sure to stay safe.
No matter how you celebrate, and with whom you celebrate, know that just because Pride looks different, doesn't mean the queer community is any less worth celebrating. It's a rainbow for a reason. The LGBTQIAP community is inclusive and beautiful, and becoming more aware by the day. Keep it going.
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