Post Pride Blues	by Bryan Whitley-Grassi

Cheer up—there’s a month of good stuff to keep the good time going

Well, it’s over. Another fabulous Gay Pride weekend in Buffalo has come to an end.

Or has it?

This year’s Pride Buffalo parade and festival drew record numbers in both the crowd and parade participants. The stage was packed full of fabulous entertainers and the drink pavilion was rocking all afternoon. The bars were packed for after-parties and local businesses on Elmwood Avenue saw a steady flow of locals and tourists, both gay and straight, who came out for the celebration. It was a wonderful, sun-filled Pride weekend. But don’t get the post-Pride blues this year.

June is Gay Pride Month and that means that you can celebrate all month long by joining in on some great LGBT events in our city. To start, there’s the annual Pride Month Workshops presented by Pride Center of Western New York, Inc.. Each year, we plan and coordinate a month-long workshop series devoted to LGBT culture, history, family planning, and health. Our gracious community partners provide hours of community service to help plan and present them. This year’s series includes: “Navigating NYS Law for LGBT Couples,” “How to Grow a Grassroots Movement,” an LGBT sports and recreation open house, and our most popular annual LGBT history roundtable discussion featuring the Rainbow Elders of the Niagara Frontier and the Madeline Davis Buffalo GLBT Archives.

But wait! There’s so much more. June 20-22, the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus will perform their annual summer concert series. This year’s concert series includes special guest: the Royal Serenaders, an historical African-American all-male chorus that has been performing in Buffalo for over 60 years. This concert is sure to be a real treat.

With so much to do, the only blues around this June should be the stripes in our Pride flags. So, get out and enjoy summer in Buffalo and a fun-filled Pride month this June.