Queer Northshore Announces 1st Annual PRIDE Northshore Celebration
St. Tammany Parish, LA, June 1, 2024 – Nonprofit Queer Northshore introduced the 1st annual PRIDE Northshore celebration, promoting LGBTQ+ visibility, community and acceptance in Louisiana’s Northshore region at a time when our community needs it most.
In the past two years, the LGBTQ+ community has been under heavy attack in Louisiana. In St. Tammany, extremist groups succeeded in having PRIDE displays removed from libraries, a billboard made by a local trans teen was burned down, and hundreds of calls are being made to remove LGBTQ+ books from our libraries. In our state legislature, Republican lawmakers continue to push through bills supporting the erasure of queer and trans identities from our schools and communities. PRIDE Northshore brings hope to thousands of LGBTQ+ families across the Northshore, showing the power and resiliency of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies through celebration. Learn more about PRIDE Northshore.
The PRIDE Northshore Parade
Saturday, June 1st at 5pm | Mandeville Lakefront
The Northshore’s 1st Pride Parade ran along Lakeshore Drive from Jackson Ave to Coffee Street. There were over 600 participants comprised of 29+ walking krewes (Lavender Lions, Ochsner PRIDE, Mande Milkshakers, Gulf South LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, The LGBT+ Archives Project of LA, St Tammany Library Alliance, various churches, and more). This all-ages parade was open to members of the LGBTQ+ community and anyone who stands in support of inclusivity and diversity in Louisiana. View the parade photos.
PRIDE Northshore will also include…
The “Show Us Your PRIDE!” billboard. A 23 ft billboard posted May 28 - June 30 on Hwy 190 in Covington (between 13th & 14th Ave) that will receive an estimated 1 million views.
The Queer Northshore PRIDE Party at Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center on June 15th, honoring members of our community. Learn more and register for the PRIDE Party.
The PRIDE Northshore Guide, featuring LGBTQ+ events, as well as dinning and shopping opportunities to support PRIDE at inclusive businesses across the Northshore.
“Queer Northshore envisions a future where all LGBTQ+ individuals in the Northshore region are accepted, represented, and connected with each other and the greater community. PRIDE Northshore is a major step forward on the long road toward achieving this goal. Our first priority is in making LGBTQ+ families feel seen and supported, so we’re amplifying our visibility by parading with our allies, posting a PRIDE billboard on a major highway, and engaging with local businesses to partner with us through our Patrons of PRIDE program.”
Media Contacts:
Mel Inari Manuel & Jeremy JF Thompson
Founders/Directors, Queer Northshore
(504) 258-2882
ABOUT QUEER NORTHSHORE: Queer Northshore is a volunteer-directed 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in January 2022 with a mission to promote LGBTQ+ visibility, community and acceptance through programing and events in the Northshore region of Southeast Louisiana. Learn more about Queer Northshore.