Along with the warm weather, June brings us a celebration of the most uninhibited, wonderful representations of “being who you are” that anyone can imagine. To get the inside scoop on this year’s pride celebrations, we caught up with two fabulous local queens, Winona RideHer, and Ms. Niona Skyler.
Both of these seasoned queens bring lots of entertainment, laughter, and regality to the LGBTQ+ scene. This year’s Pride is just another opportunity to showcase what drag has to offer in Pittsburgh.
“Drag lets us entertain our community with laughter and love. We need that now more than ever in this world and drag lets us escape out reality for a little while and just celebrate who we all are,” stated Skyler.
Both queens spoke of how greatly the scene influences Pittsburgh in general, promoting a more optimistic, open view toward people in the LGBTQ+ community. RideHer explained,
“More drag bars have opened in the past few years, which is wonderful because people have more opportunities to express themselves. Drag is starting to become main-stream everywhere, partly because of shows like Drag Race, but also because of the local communities promoting performers everywhere and giving them venues to do so.”
Ms. RideHer also explained that “Drag is so much more than drag race. There are so many local queens in every city and every small town that are EXTRAORDINARY! So go support local drag!”
--And there are so many places to do so in our great little city. We have so many LGBTQ+ friendly bars like, Blue Moon, There Ultra Lounge, Element, 5801, P-town, and many others! Get out an explore this pride, and use this guide to take advantage of ALL pride activities this year!
And support Winona RideHer (@winonarideher_ryanscully) and Niona Skyler (@nionaskyler) on Instagram to stay updated on their upcoming performances!
