Happy Pride month! We’re thrilled to be celebrating our fourth annual event, and so thankful to the sponsors, advertisers, vendors, performers and volunteers who helped to make it all happen!
There is no denying that this past year has been a hard one for the LGBTQ+ community, both nationally and locally. Across the country, there has been a sharp backlash in response to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in schools and increased visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the broader culture.
This backlash has especially come in the form of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation— we’ve heard the most about Florida’s “Don’t’ Say Gay” bill, but in Montana, the Governor signed a bill into law that says trans people simply don’t exist; in North Dakota, which has passed 10 anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law in 2023 alone, bills have been enacted that bar changing one’s government ID due to transition, exclude trans athletes from playing on the team that matches their gender identity, and prohibit public libraries from carrying books that are “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in North Dakota as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors.” Drag performers have been targeted in 12 states, and as of June 7, 525 anti-LGBTQ+ bills had been introduced nationwide in total during the 2023 legislative session, and 70 signed into law, according to a Human Rights Campaign report.
The national landscape has affected us locally as well.
In Putnam, there have been vicious attacks on school librarians, local activists and candidates, as well as private business owners hosting LGBTQ+ affirming events. Over the past year, it has become the trend to cast LGBTQ+ people and allies who celebrate Pride, attend Drag Story Hours, or speak out against bigotry generally, as “groomers” and “pedophiles.” This attempt to paint the LGBTQ+ community as sexually deviant, abusive to children, or hypersexual is nothing new, but social media has made it easy for bigots to make defamatory claims like this, spread them widely in an instant, and get away with it. We need to hold these people accountable and refuse to be silenced by their threats and slander, which is their intention.
This includes speaking out when local government and administrations fail as well; earlier this year, Carmel Central School District and the Sheriff’s Department discovered racist TikTok videos that included threats against Black and Brown students and would have swept them under the rug if not for some bold and persistent parents who ultimately came together to create real change in a coordinated way. You will hear more about and from them at our event.
Finally, instead of focusing on issues that actually impact Putnam residents, like racism; affordable housing; or clean water, the current County Executive has recently chosen to spend his time drafting Executive Orders to bar migrants from entering Putnam—even though they are not being sent here. County Executive Kevin Byrne issued an Order characterizing asylum seekers as criminals, and trampling on the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Constitution by attempting to block hotels from housing migrants. As a result, Putnam and a number of other New York counties are being sued by the New York Civil Liberties Union. This is wasted money when Putnam has not been asked to take in migrants and the Order is merely a dog whistle to xenophobes.
Putnam Pride’s mission is to create a safe and welcoming space for all minorities and to speak up on behalf of the most marginalized groups, and many asylum seekers are LGBTQ+ people who are fleeing their own countries because their lives are in danger just for being who they are. An Order like Byrne’s makes us no different than those they are escaping.
But believe it or not, all of the above is a sign that we are making real strides. As LGBTQ+ people both locally and nationally become louder and more visible, increasingly hold positions of power, push back against discrimination and harassment in schools and public places, and gain ground in many areas, backlash is to be expected. It means we are winning, but we cannot back down.
For now, though, let’s celebrate and find joy in community and coming together–and with our amazing hosts Angel Elektra and ShayD’Pines, who have been with us from the start and always make the day so fabulous, joy is a given!!
Happy Pride, all!!
June 24th, 2023, Brewster Village, NY hosted by
The 4th Annual
with Speakers
Norma Pereira - she/her
Eileen McDermott, Putnam Pride - she/her
Martin McGeachy, Gilead Church - he/him
Mondaire Jones - he/him
NY State Senator Pete Harckham - he/him
Marisa Ragonese, Yorktown for Justice - she/her
Dakota Piñon, GLSEN Lower Hudson Valley - he/him
James Young, QUEERY - he/they
Karissa O’Reilly, School Library Media Specialists of Southeastern NY - she/her
Abigail Santana, CAFÉ - she/her
Saanvi Prasad, Dear Asian Youth Putnam Chapter - she/they
Ellis Finkelstein, The Longview School - they/them
and Entertainment by Angel Elektra & Shay D’Pines
Kitty Ka’Boodlez
The Geology Club
I.Den.t.T
Sierra Cervantes
Carrie Ashton
The Monkeytown Milk Spillers
Ezra Shuf & Alexa Leclere
Jeffie Zitofsky
Zachary Clark and Zen Seller, accom. by Justin Clark
Graphic Design
Daniel Basiletti
Sound and Music
Patti & Kevin Hupp
Photography/Video
Stephanie Schleicher
Laurie Doppman
Artwork
Jean Basiletti
Entertainment Coordinators
Patti Hupp
Jill Paxton
Founder
Eileen McDermott
Hudson Valley LGBTQIA+ Resources
Putnam Pride putnamnypride@gmail.com putnampride.com
Putnam County Department of Health
Immunizations, New Parent Support Groups, Hep C & HIV testing + more 1 Geneva Rd, Brewster (845) 808-1390
putnamcountyny.com/health
IG @PutnamHealthNY
The LOFT LGBT Community Services Center 252 Bryant Ave, White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 948-2932
loftgaycenter.org
Dutchess Pride Center 1085 State Rte 55, Lagrangeville, NY 12540 (845) 380-6549
dutchesspridecenter.org
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Lower Hudson Valley PO Box 604, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 (914) 962-7888 MJ Karger: mj@lowerhudsonvalley.glsen.org glsenlhv.org
Rockland Pride Center (845) 353-6300
rocklandpridecenter.org
Newburgh LGBTQ+ Center (845) 616-2870
thenewburghcenter@gmail.com
newburghlgbtqcenter.org
Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center 300 Wall Street Kingston, New York 12401 (845) 331-5300
info@lgbtqcenter.org
lgbtqcenter.org/hudson-valley-pride/ Queery - Making Queer Theory Fun and Accessible queery.us
WJCS Center Lane 845 North Broadway White Plains, NY 10603 (914) 423-0610 centerlane@wjcs.com www.centerlaneny.org
Dear Asian Youth Putnam County Chapter dearasianyouth.org
IG @dayputnamcounty dearasianyouthputnamcounty @gmail.com
Putnam County Human Rights Task Force
putnamcountyhumanrightstaskforce.org nohate4putnam@gmail.com
Putnam Progressives putnamprogressives.org
IG @putnam_progressives antivirus@eeyore18.info
Sustainable Putnam sustainableputnam.org
IG @sustainableputnam info@sustainableputnam.org
Community Alliance for Empowerment (CAFE), Carmel cafecommunity23@gmail.com
Are you struggling to...
Find a therapist? Get your medication? Be yourself? Join
- Meet other trans folx and learn about important trans issues at TSHV events and workshops
- Set career goals and look for a job
- Get linked to medical care and therapy
- Connect to affordable housing options
- Learn about public benefits like disability or unemployment
- Get tested for HIV/STIs and Hep C
- Access PrEP or PEP
Get started by contacting the TSHV Peer Navigator: Ejike FIgueira (They/She/He) | (914)-948-2932 x15 | ejike@loftgaycenter.org
Putnam Organizations Working for Change, cont.
Yorktown for Justice yorktownforjustice@gmail.com yorktownforjustice.org
Second Chance Foods secondchancefoods.org
Hudson Valley Patriots for Immigration Reform facebook.com/HVPIR
patriotsforimmigrationreform@gmail.com
Hudson Valley Regional Community Health Centers
15 Mount Ebo Road South, Suite 1
(845) 278-6930
Moms Demand Action in Putnam County
Katherine O’Sullivan katherine.c.osullivan@gmail.com
Nonprofit Addiction Treatment & Recovery Services
St. Christopher’s Inn
Where Hope and Compassion Meet
21 Franciscan Way, Garrison, NY 10524 stchristophersinn-graymoor.org
(845) 335-1000
The Prevention Council of Putnam
67 Gleneida Ave
Carmel Hamlet, NY 10512
(845) 225-4646
Putnam Mental Health Services
Cove Care 1808 US-6, Carmel Hamlet, NY covecarecenter.org
(845) 225-2700
Putnam Community Services 1620 NY-22, Brewster, NY (845) 278-2500
MHA Putnam 2505 Carmel Ave, Brewster, NY (845) 278-7600
www.mhaputnam.org Life Stance 10 Morrissey Dr, Putnam Valley, NY (845) 284-1570
Southeast Carmel Psychotherapy Services
2443 US-6, Brewster, NY (845) 225-3591
Hudson Counseling Services
220 US-6, Mahopac, NY (914) 479-7670
www.hudson-counseling.com
Immigrant Services
Catholic Charities Community Services
175 Main Street, Brewster, NY (845) 279-5276
Immigration.Services@archny.org www.catholiccharitiesny.org/
Putnam County Clerk’s Office 40 Gleneida Ave, Carmel, NY 10512
www.putnamcountyny.com/countyclerk/naturalization/
Hudson Valley Chapter - NYCLU 297 Knollwood Road, Suite 217, White Plains, NY (914) 997-7479
lowerhudsonvalley@nyclu.org
Legal Services
NY State Bar Association
Referral Service
nysba.org/lawyer-referral-program
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (877) 574-8529
lshv.org
Pace Women’s Justice Center Legal Helpline: 914-287-0739
Free Walk-in Legal Clinic:
(914) 422-4188
Main office: (914) 422-4069
law.pace.edu/wjc
Disability Services
Westchester Disabled on the Move
984 N Broadway #400, Yonkers, NY 10701
(914) 968-4717
Green Chimneys
400 Doansburg Rd, Brewster, NY 10509
(845) 279-2995
greenchimneys.org
Community Living Corporation
135 Radio Cir Dr, Mt Kisco, NY 10549
(914) 241-0581
This list of resources was compiled in partnership with the Putnam County Human Rights Task Force.
Putnam / Northern Westchester
Women’s Resource Center
(800) 656-4673
CRISIS LINE: (845) 628-2166
pnwwrc.org
RAINN (800) 656-4673
rainn.org
NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence
(800) 942-6906
NYC Coalition Against Domestic Violence
(800) 621-4673
Deaf, Hard of Hearing
TDD/TTY (800) 342-3720
Video Phone (845) 764-8384
nyscadv.org
The Family Justice Center women.westchestergov.com/familyjustice-center
Danbury Women’s Center
Sexual Assault Hotline: (203) 731-5204
Domestic Violence Hotline: (203) 731-5206
Counseling/Administrative Headquarters: (203) 731-5200
Appointments: (203) 731-5200 x104
womenscenter@wcogd.org
wcogd.org/services
Provided by Dr. Clare Echterling
LGBTQIA+ children’s and young adult (YA) literature is a great resource for LGBTQIA+ young people to explore and celebrate their identities. It can also help allies learn more about supporting their LGBTQIA+ friends, loved ones, and communities.
Unfortunately, children’s and YA books about LGBTQ+ characters and topics are frequently challenged, censored, and banned, including here in Putnam County. Each year, the American Library Association compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books. In 2021, 5 of the 10 most challenged books were censored for LGBTQIA+ content.
Here are some tips on how to support challenged books in our community, plus recommendations for LGBTQIA+ children’s and YA books. For more book recommendations, check out your local public library or bookstore, the Lambda Literary Awards website, and the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books.
•Get involved with your local school board (run for a position, vote, and show up to voice support for LGBTQIA+ and other diverse books—you don’t have to have kids in school to do so!)
•Research what others are doing to support LGBTQIA+ books and authors and join in
•Pay attention to local and national challenges, and don’t let local challenges go unnoticed
•Report censorship and find support at the American Library Association’s Banned & Challenged Books Website (ala.org/advocacy/bbooks)
•Request and check out LGBTQIA+ books at your local public library
•Recommend, share, and talk about LGBTQIA+ books
•Support local libraries, library workers, and teachers
ALL OF THESE BOOKS are available at libraries in the Mid Hudson Library System. Get a library card today! (Those under 18 must be present with a guardian.)
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Flamer by Mike Curato
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
Be Gay, Do Comics!: Queer History, Memoir and Satire from The Nib
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
Push by Sapphire
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsburg
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard by Alex Bertie
Elementary and Middle Grade
George by Alex Gino
Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake
A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith
Holes by Louis Sachar
I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel
The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
Picturebooks
The Family Book by Todd Parr
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, illustrated by Henry Cole
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
Calvin by JR and Vanessa Ford
Thanks to the Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition for their support! Make sure to see On Tidy Endings, Harvey Fierstein’s one-act play directed by Keith Dougherty. June 23 & 24 at 7pm and June 25 at 2pm at the Studio Around the Corner, 67 Main Street, Brewster, NY.
Celebrating community with transformative and inspiring arts experiences!
Scan
Copyright © 2022 The SafeZone Initiative www.theszinitiative.org
Ally: A person who does not necessarily identify with a group, but still advocates for that group’s rights.
Agender: A person who does not identify themselves as having a particular gender.
Aromantic: In its broadest meaning, this umbrella term encompasses anyone who has a low or absent romantic attraction to others. Sexual relationships may be desired.
Asexual: In its broadest meaning, this umbrella term encompasses anyone who has a low or absent sexual attraction or interest in sexual activity. Intimate romantic/affectional relationships may be desired.
Biphobia: Negative feelings, attitudes, actions, or behaviors towards people who are, or are perceived to be, bisexual or pansexual. It may also be a fear of one’s own bisexual or pansexual attractions.
Bisexual: A person who has the potential to be sexually and/or romantically attracted to men and women.
Cisgender: Often abbreviated as “cis,” this term means that you are comfortable with the gender identity assigned to you at birth. This is the opposite of transgender.
Cissexism: Seen as subtle form of discrimination, this is the assumption that all people are, or should be, cisgender. This creates a system of advantages bestowed upon those who are cisgender.
Crossdresser: A cisgender person who dresses in clothing deemed inappropriate by society for the gender assigned them at birth.
Demisexual: A person who only experiences sexual attraction to people that they have developed an emotional connection with.
Drag King & Drag Queen: A person who cross-dresses as a means of performance or entertainment.
FTM: An abbreviated term Female-to-Male, this label is often adopted by people of of trans experience who was assigned female at birth but know themselves to be male.
Gay: While most often associated with men, in its broadest meaning this is a person who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to people of the same gender.
Gender Binary: A classification system of gender into two distinct opposite forms of masculine and feminine whether by social system or cultural belief.
Gender Dysphoria: The deep discomfort a person who is transgender may experience with how their physical body aligns with their sense of self.
Gender Euphoria: The immense feeling of joy a person who is transgender may experience when their physical body aligns with their sense of self.
Gender Expansive: A person whose gender expression and/or identity broadens or overflows our binary cultural and societal expectations for men and women. Some people prefer this term to “gender nonconforming.”
Gender Expression: The part of a person’s identity that is about expressing masculinity or femininity as influenced by society, culture and individual expectations.
Gender Fluid: A person who does not identify themselves as having a fixed gender.
Gender Identity: The part of a person’s identity that is about their sense of self as male or female, neither or both.
Heterosexism: The systems of advantages bestowed on people who are heterosexual. It can also be the assumption that all people are, or should be, heterosexual and gender-conforming.
Homophobia: Negative feelings, attitudes, actions, or behaviors against LGBTQ+ people or people perceived to be LGBTQ+. It may also be a fear of one’s own same-sex attractions.
Homosexual: An outdated clinical term used to describe someone who is gay or lesbian. This is a dated term. Many prefer the terms: gay or lesbian.
Intersex: A person whose biological anatomy and/or genes vary from the expected male or female anatomy and/or genetics.
Latinx: This adjective relates to those of Latin American origin or descent and is the non-gendered alternative to “Latino” and “Latina.”
Lesbian: A woman who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to other women.
LGBTQ+: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, plus so much more!
MTF: An abbreviated term Male-To-Female, this label is often adopted by people of of trans experience who was assigned male at birth but know themselves to be female.
Non-Binary: A person whose gender identity is not as a man or a woman. They may be both, neither, somewhere between, a different gender or no gender at all.
Onmigender: Treating all genders as one, without discriminating or distinguishing between them.
Pansexual: A person who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to people regardless of their gender identity, gender expression or biological sex. This term goes beyond a gender binary.
Polyamory: The practice of or desire for intimate relationships with more than one partner at a time. These relationships depend upon consent and knowledge of all involved.
Queer: A simple label to explain orientations, gender identities and/or gender expressions that do not conform to societal expectations. Some people view this as a term of empowerment and others strongly dislike this term.
Questioning: A person who is unsure about their orientation and/or gender identity.
Romantic Orientation: The part of our identity related to whom we are romantically attracted; also known as affectional orientation.
QTPOC/QTWOC: This abbreviation stands for Queer & Trans People of Color or Queer & Trans Women of Color and is rooted in the concept of intersectionality - which focuses on the intersections and interactions between various forms and systems of oppression including: Racism, Gender, Classism, Religious Oppression, and more.
Sexual Orientation: The part of our identity related to whom we are sexually attracted.
Transgender: In its broadest meaning, this umbrella term encompasses anyone whose gender identity does not correspond to the gender they were assigned at birth.
Transfeminine: A term used to describe transgender people who were assigned male at birth, but identify with femininity to a greater extent than with masculinity.
Transmasculine: A term used to describe transgender people who were assigned female at birth, but identify with masculinity to a greater extent than with femininity.
Transphobia: Negative feelings, attitudes, actions, or behaviors against transgender people or people perceived to be transgender. It may also be a fear of one’s own gender non-conformity.
Two-Spirit: A Native American term for LGBTQ+ individuals with dual or multiple genders. It can mean having both a masculine and a feminine spirit. It has different meanings in different communities. Some Native individuals embrace this terms while others strongly dislike it.
Xenophobia: The dislike or prejudice of people from other countries or who are different. This can add an additional layer of discrimination to folks who are LGBTQ+.
8 in Arkansas
6 in Utah
5 in Montana
5 in Tennessee
4 in Florida
3 in Idaho
3 in Indiana
3 in Iowa
3 in Kansas
3 in Oklahoma
2 in Kentucky
2 in Mississippi
2 in West Virginia
1 in Georgia
1 in Nebraska
1 in South Dakota
1 in Wyoming
The Stonewall Uprising, which essentially was the first Pride, started in reaction to police brutality and discrimination. While historians disagree on precisely how the events of that night unfolded and who did what, we know that four trans and gender variant people of color - Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major and Stormé DeLarverie – were integral in fighting back on June 28, 1969, when police tried one too many times to abuse and evict them from the only community they had at the time – The Stonewall Inn – for being their authentic selves. The uprising lasted for six days and was the catalyst for seeking broad change that even to this day we’re still fighting to achieve. In 2021 alone, more than 80 anti-trans bills had been introduced as of mid-March across the United States, marking the highest number of anti-trans bills in history, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Born August 24, 1945, Marsha P. Johnson came from a large family; she had six siblings. Her family was very religious, so in 1963 she left for New York City with $15 and a bag of clothes. Johnson variably identified as gay, as a transvestite, and as a queen. Johnson’s gender expression could perhaps most accurately be called gender non-conforming; Johnson never selfidentified with the term transgender, but the term was also not in broad use while Johnson was alive.
Johnson was one of the first drag queens to go to the Stonewall Inn, after they began allowing women and drag queens inside; it was previously a bar for only gay men. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall uprising occurred. Johnson denied starting the uprising; she recalled arriving at around “2:00 [that morning],” that “the riots had already started” by that time and the Stonewall building “was on fire.” The riots reportedly started around 1:20 that morning.
Sylvia Rivera was born on July 2nd, 1951. Raised by her grandmother, Rivera was rejected and beaten. By age 11, she ran away from home and became a child prostitute, working in the Times Square area. While living on the streets, Rivera met a group of drag queens who welcomed her into their fold, and it was with their support that she became “Sylvia” and identified as a drag queen. Later in life, she would consider herself transgender, although she disliked labels.
Sylvia Rivera became one of the most radical gay and transgender activists of the 1960s and 70s. As co-founder of the Gay Liberation Front, Rivera was known for participating in the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and establishing the political organization STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with fellow friend and drag queen, Marsha P. Johnson.
Stormé DeLarverie was born December 24, 1920, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother was Black and worked as a servant for the family of her father, who was white. She came out as a lesbian at age 18 and toured the Black theater circuit as the MC and a drag king for the Jewel Box Revue, North America’s first racially integrated drag revue, which regularly played the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. DeLarverie is rumored to have been the butch lesbian who was beaten and arrested the night of the Stonewall Uprising and implored bystanders to “do something,” thereby sparking the rebellion. She lived in the famed Chelsea Hotel in her latter years and often worked security at the lesbian bars in the West Village, such as Henrietta Hudson and The Cubbyhole.
Born October 25, 1940, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy moved to New York City after being kicked out of two colleges for openly expressing her gender identity. During the Stonewall Uprising, she helped to lead the rebellion, but was struck by an officer and arrested, where she said a corrections officer broke her jaw. She moved to California in 1978 and was active in helping trans women who were incarcerated, suffering from addiction, or homeless, as well as providing services to the community during the AIDS epidemic. In 2003, she began working with the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project, where she led efforts to support trans women of color in prison and to combat police brutality.
Sources: Wikipedia
Putnam for Black Lives Trans Day of Remembrance Presentation
Jean Tock Original Art will be selling prints at Putnam Pride 2023 with all proceeds going to The Trevor Project. Please visit her booth to support an important organization!
The Trevor Project’s mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people.
Gender Neutral Pronoun Cloud: Etapatra Aranyani, Medium
Arielle Ascanio, She/Her, Lakeland High School
Savannah College of Art & Design
by Brett Allen,
Moral panic: “A mass movement based on the false or exaggerated perception that some cultural behavior or group of people is dangerously deviant and poses a threat to society’s values and interests. Moral panics are generally fuelled by media coverage of social issues.”
- Oxford ReferencesThere is always a right and a wrong side of history
History frowns on the fascists
On the dictators
On the colonizers
On the slave owners
On those who said that women shouldn’t get to vote
On those who fought to keep blacks and whites separated
On those who insisted that marriage must be between a man and a woman
But there are always those who insist on being on the wrong side of history
Who dig in their heels
In defense of an old world
Of “tradition”, of “family values”, of the way things are “supposed to be”
Those who see a changing world and take it as a threat
In the year 2023
The lawmakers shout that they are “protecting the children!”
They are liars
If they wanted to protect the children they could do something about
The guns and the violence and the burning planet and the healthcare and the death
But instead of doing anything useful at all
The party of “small government” sticks their hands
In the classroom
In the doctor’s office
In the bathrooms
In the sports fields
In the home
Those on the wrong side of history work very hard
Over 520 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced across the US in 2023
They are loud
They are angry
They are ugly
But they will not erase us
We are louder
We are angrier
But we are also joyful And we are beautiful
We will be here long after the bigots are rotting in their graves
The trans kids will grow to be trans adults
With beautiful lives ahead of them
The drag queens and kings will still dance and sing and slay
Because art can never be abolished
Queer joy will live and live and live
We will live
We will survive
We will thrive
We will flourish
And history will frown on the bigots
They can kick their feet
And scream and shout and hold on so tight to their backwards views
But they will be on the wrong side of history
And we aren’t going anywhere
by Tigerlily Harrington
“Serene” by Brett Allen, Savannah College of Art & Design
“Girls”, “Boys”, “People”, by Sierra Cervantes
On Givens. A sweet-humbled taste found me you as vane winds monocluture direction. I drive us through a coral of houses, consider a primer to take the stain out of wired enamel.
How we fit: caffeine on par with your fight-club history.
Belly burbled quaint over a lowered waistband levee
I make room. You make a brook toss like a clay pigeon. The ground is hurtful
enough. Without the hunt you cut a surgical entry -
the second queer. It gives pause to ride the heady of these words
headwind: hick, a rooster’s tail. In a metropolis of welcome stares, I sand into your masc.
Even trainbound, even public let the joining of our palms
glory fester fly.
Sabbi Gale-Donnelly (she/they) is a poet, activist and student from Crompond, NY. A two-time American Voices nominee, their work may be found in Up the Staircase Quarterly, the Daphne Review, TeenInk and the National Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Archive.
Thank you to all of our amazing vendors, sponsors, partners and advertisers so far!! With your support we are able to spotlight local businesses, organizations, artists and performers, and to print and distribute our annual Putnam Pride Guide, featuring LGBTQ+-affirming local businesses and resources. THANK YOU!!!
AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS!!!
2023 Sponsors
Hudson Valley Credit Union: Rainbow Sponsor
GLSEN Lower Hudson Valley: Stage Sponsor
Law Offices of Joseph J. Tock: Entertainment Sponsor
Kathleen Scrushy & Virginia Murphy: Individual Donors
Cove Care Center: Nonprofit Sponsor
Planned Parenthood: Nonprofit Sponsor
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: Nonprofit Sponsor
Nuvance Health: Nonprofit Sponsor
Brook Farm Veterinary Center: Rainbow Arch Sponsor
The Black Cat Boutique: Marketing Partner
A2Z Designs by Nikki: T-Shirt Partner
All Are Welcome!
2023 Food vendors
Dutchess Dogs, Mr. Rican, Wrapper’s Delight, Pink Sugar Pastries, Thai Golden, Reverie Coffee, Chef Dion
2023 Vendors
Putnam Progressives, Reed Memorial Library, Anita Baker, Eloquent Hair Salon, Color Street (Amanda Andrade), Long Island Crisis Center, Prevention Council Putnam, Moms Demand Action, Forward Motion Counseling, Spanish with Norma, CAFE, The Loft, The Longview School, Dear Asian Youth (DAY)
Putnam Chapter, Trans Closet of the Hudson Valley, Queery, The Alzheimer’s Association, Pink Sugar Pastries, Christina
Johosky, Teal Door Counseling, Babez Beauty Care, GLSEN
Lower Hudson Valley, Putnam County Dept. of Health, Dustin
Batson, WJCS Center Lane, 4-H Putnam County/Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Magazzino Italian Art,
Tony’s World of Magic, Jean Tock Original Art, Chaska Bregante - Venus & I Candles, Arms Acres
2023 Advertisers/Supporters
Cathryn’s Tuscan Grill, Split Rock Books, Tompkins Corners Cultural Center, St. Christopher’s Inn, Putnam County Economic Development Corporation, Feehan Insurance, Putnam County Tourism
