Let me be real with you, dear reader. After the Pride month we had last year, this year has been a complete 180 for so many wonderful reasons, and I would argue the most refreshing is the return to community. We’ve mainly seen this with gay bars across the country opening back up (like Cubbyhole, a lesbian bar in Manhattan and personal favorite of mine).

But we’re also seeing a greater sense of community virtually. After 15 months of Zoom calls, people have started to become more virtual event savvy, and we’re seeing the benefits of this! Especially for Pride 2021.

Pride 2021 Any Way You Want It

Here are some ways that you can stay safe and also celebrate Pride either virtually or otherwise!

Deck Out Your Safety Swag With Pride!

If there’s one thing that we’ve seen a lot of this year, it is the usual June 1st-July 1st selling of rainbow splashed shirts and stickers. And while that can sometimes lead to an eyeroll (I talked all about this the other week), proceeds are often for a good cause, if the products are not already being sold by an LGBT owned organization.

So grab yourself a rainbow sticker and stick it to your hand sanitizer! Wear your trans flag mask proudly! And if you need any of the above we’ve got that here at OIMDE (100% LGBT founded and owned!).

Attend A Virtual Pride Event!

A good number of Prides across the country and making sure they hold their festivities virtually. So you can attend NYC Pride, LA Pride, or Chicago Pride from the comfort of your own screen. Also, check out how Pride is being broadcast near you! Chances are a town near you is making sure that Pride 2021 is accessible by all.

Get Vaccinated, Henny!

In the end, the best thing that you can do right now to make sure you and your friends and loved ones are safe this year, is to get vaccinated. The CDC is very up to date on everything you need to know to get vaccinated, and doing so will help the country as a whole be one step closer to safety for all. Pride 2021 might be great, but if we can all get vaccinated, that only means Pride 2022 will be that much better.

There ya have it. Now, go get your pride flags (again, we’re selling them here!) and get out there and have a gay ol’ time!

Philip