Last year, PrideFest was one of many events postponed for 2021 when the pandemic hit Milwaukee. Out of respect for the health and dignity of attendees, PrideFest announced that it will move this year’s festival from its usual time slot in early June. PrideFest is working with Milwaukee Ethnic Festivals, Inc. on potential dates, hoping to reschedule the event for late summer or early fall.
“After much consideration, we cannot move forward with planning a June 2021 festival without knowing how and when a vaccine will be distributed throughout our community equally” said Wes Shaver, Milwaukee Pride, Inc. President. “It is still unclear as to how (or if) public gatherings will happen in 2021 and we cannot risk the health and wellbeing of our community by putting the festival ahead of the people it serves.” He added, “We just don’t know what parameters will be set for admission to public gatherings—they could include proof of a COVID test or vaccination or other restrictions. What an awful reality to be told that you can’t come in!”
Gerry Coon, President and CEO of Diverse and Resilient, agreed. “I appreciate the early decision Milwaukee Pride has made to cancel the traditional PrideFest for 2021 to ensure everyone’s safety,” he said. “Although we are disappointed that we will not be able to meet in person at PrideFest, we look forward to working with Milwaukee Pride and our community partners on other ways to celebrate Pride and support our health, wellness and self-care needs in 2021.”
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Even though PrideFest is canceled, Milwaukee Pride is working with other LGBTQ+ community partners to increase visibility of the opportunities LGBTQ+ people have for their individual health, wellness, and self-care needs. Every year, PrideFest hosts a Health & Wellness area that’s open to organizations to showcase their programs, services, people and resources that serve the community (as well as other underserved and represented groups). While the physical space is unavailable for 2021, Milwaukee Pride is launching a digital Health & Wellness space that allows quick access to anyone. This digital platform will allow participants a free listing, so no cost to the organization, to participate in the state-wide directory. Milwaukee Pride is accepting donations towards the initiative, but, this is a free service.
Regarding the current public health situation and PrideFest, Shaver added, “The idea that, hypothetically, someone with quicker or more readily available access to health care resources could attend, while others could not, was not an option. PrideFest is a space for everyone. We cannot have any additional factors that create divides and fractures within our community.”
“We don’t want people to think there will be no Pride this year,” said Luke Olson, PrideFest Festival Producer and VP of Milwaukee Pride, Inc. “We simply want to ensure we’re taking the right steps forward. We hope people trust that our intentions are for the safety of the community, and for efforts for a digital Health & Wellness will continually put access at the forefront of our community efforts year-round.”
For more information, visit pridefest.com.
