What to do, where to be to celebrate Pride Month 2022: Week 2

The LGBTQ community is finally coming out — of the shadows of COVID.

After two years of virtual celebrations, fully-masked demonstrations, socially-distanced commemorations and full-on cancellations, LGBTQ Pride month is here again.

Parade participants celebrate New York City Pride on June 27, 2021, in New York City.

While the pandemic is far from over, a combination of vaccinations, booster shots and CDC-approved antiviral drugs all point to a Pride month, where your biggest fear is what you are missing out on.

So, fear not. Here’s a little guide to get you started.

Monday, June 6

NewFest Pride: New York Premiere of “Queer as Folk” followed by Q&A with cast

Peacock’s much-anticipated reimagining of the groundbreaking British series is the highlight of NewFest Pride’s last day. The show, set to debut on the streamer on June 9, features a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. Free with RSVP, 7 p.m., at the SVA Theatre

OUT Spoken: A Night of Queer Expression, Washington, D.C.

D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance and Busboys and Poets, a restaurant and bar that serves as a cultural hub for artists, activists, writers, and thinkers in the Washington D.C Metropolitan and Baltimore areas, invite LGBTQ people and allies to celebrate Pride by using their voice — literally. All gender identities are welcome to share their thoughts on the mic. You can expect a diverse chorus of voices, from both professional spoken word performers and open mic rookies. Tickets start at $10, 8 p.m., 625 Monroe St. NE

Tuesday, June 7

Talk: One Man’s Story of Gay Rights and Asylum, Center for Brooklyn History

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating Pride 2022 with expanded access to queer-themed books, events for the whole family, as well as inspiring talks. On Tuesday, award-winning journalist Zach Stafford will host a conversation with LGBTQ rights and immigration activist Edafe Okporo. On the eve of his 26th birthday, Okporo was awoken by an angry mob outside his window in Abuja, Nigeria, after they found out he was gay. He was forced to leave everything behind and flee to the U.S. His experiences of growing up in a country where his sexuality could land him behind bars for up to 14 years, then having to navigate through the complicated immigration system in the U.S. are the subject of his new book “Asylum: A Memoir and Manifesto.” Free, reservations required. 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. 128 Pierrepont St.

UMLAUF After Dark, Austin, Texas

Austin-based performer Caleb de Casper is headlining a special Pride Night at the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and Museum. The classically trained musician and performance artist — known for eviscerating gender lines during his critically-acclaimed theatrical performances by mixing evening gowns, bondage wear, Victorian collars, heavy makeup and a very hairy chest — will perform songs from his debut album “Femme Boy.” The night will also include a pop-up market from Austin’s own “The Little Gay Shop.” $12, free for members, 6 - 8 p.m, 605 Azie Morton Road.

Wednesday, June 8

“Gay New York: 1930-1970″ with George Chauncey at the New-York Historical Society

Celebrated LGBTQ historian George Chauncey will discuss LGBTQ culture and politics in New York from the 1930s to 1970 by taking a closer look at the hard-fought progress achieved by previous generations of the LGBTQ community in the U.S. Chauncey, who teaches history at Columbia University, will draw from research he made for the follow-up to his 1994 award-winning book “Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940.″ $38, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., 170 Central Park West

Drag Queen Story Hour in Church Square Park with Harmonica Sunbeam, Hoboken, N.J.

Actor, singer, dancer and drag queen extraordinaire Harmonica Sunbeam has been hard at work for the past three decades. Besides delighting adult audiences in bars, parties and COVID-era zoom meetings, the self-described Queen of Comedy is also a hit with young kids, as a longtime participant of the Drag Queen Story Hour program in the New York area. Her ability to uplift, encourage and engage children through storytelling and singing will bring smiles to kids’ faces as part of the Hoboken Public Library’s Pride festivities. Free, 10:30 - 11 a.m., Church Square Park

Thursday, June 9

Radical Joy Ball at the Whitney Museum, New York

The ADAPT Community Network, a nonprofit that provides services for people with disabilities, is joining the world-renowned museum to celebrate inclusivity, access and fabulousness. Drawing from the traditions of New York’s ballroom culture, the Radical Joy Ball will honor the vibrancy of LGBTQ and Disability Pride through music, dance, and runway performances, darling. Free, registration required, 99 Gansevoort St.

Drag Yourself to the Valley at The Garland, North Hollywood, Calif.

“RuPaul Drag Race” superstars Willow Pill, Adore Delano and Willam Belli headline a dragtastic evening of camp, glam, comedy, and performance art — which may or may not include a toaster being thrown in a bathtub. West Hollywood’s Billy Francesca, or the Original Bearded Lady, will host the evening. 8 - 11 p.m. Tickets start at $75, 4222 Vineland Avenue

Friday, June 10

Pride Night at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo.

For the 5th Annual Pride Night at Busch Stadium LGBTQ fans and allies will be able to show their true rainbow colors as they watch the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Cincinnati Reds. Fans who buy a special theme ticket will receive a rainbow Cardinals hooded pullover. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to PFLAG Greater St. Louis, which provides community, support and hope to LGBTQ youth and their families in the St. Louis area. 7:15 p.m. Tickets start at $32.90, 700 Clark Ave.

Fused Rainbow

Make-It-Now Pride night at Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.

See your true colors shining through — a piece of art. The Pittsburgh Glass Center is offering Make-It-Now workshops where students will learn from expert glass artists how to twist, pull, and shape a piece of art glass with all the colors of the rainbow. Workshops include glassblowing and flameworking demonstrations, and students can leave the class with either a fused suncatcher or a rainbow paperweight. 6 - 9 p.m. Prices vary from “pay what makes you happy” for the suncatcher to $50 for the paperweight. Reservation required. 5472 Penn Ave.

Saturday, June 11

LA Pride in the Park

A star-studded event kick off Pride weekend in Los Angeles, for a festival-style afternoon of live music on two stages, vendors, foods, drinks and other Pride-related activities. Pop superstar Christina Aguilera leads an incredible lineup of A-listers, including international sensation and Brazilian diva Anitta, Golden Globe-winner and “Pose” star Michaela Jaé, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 8 winner Bob the Drag Queen and more. Tickets start at $60, 1 - 11 p.m., Los Angeles Historic Park

Brooklyn Pride 2022 Parade & Festival

Brooklyn Pride is back — better, bigger, gayer! This year, the outdoor festival in Park Slope will feature dozens of performances throughout the day, as well as a cross-section of the borough’s business, community, and city-wide organizations. The afternoon fun will be followed by the northeast’s only twilight Pride Parade — which will feature 68 entries this year, the most in its 26-year history. Festival: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Fifth Ave. at Union St.; parade: 7:30 - 10 p.m., Fifth Ave. at Lincoln Place.

“Wildness,” exhibition and book signing at Baxter St. at the Camera Club of New York

A new exhibition of the work of 11 photo-based queer artists — all members of the Queer Critique Group at Baxter St. — opened at the long-established artist-run organization at the start of Pride Month. The show was inspired by the writings of queer theorist and cultural critic Jack Halberstam, who calls wildness “a marker of a desire to return queerness to the disorder of an unsorted field of desires and drives.” A photobook accompanying the show contains writing by renowned photographers, artists, and curators. The book signing will take place at the organization’s Project Space, an expansion of its main gallery which is shared by the Baxter St. Cafe. Free, 12-2 p.m., 128 Baxter St.

Sunday, June 12

Youth Pride at Littlefield, Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn’s first-ever Pride celebration for LGBTQ youth will offer teens and young adults an afternoon of free expression in a safe space that’s free of judgment and full of fun — with music, carnival games, double dutch, and of course, good ol’ kiki. All guests should be between the ages of 13 and 20, and they are asked to bring a school ID. Free, 12 - 5 p.m. 635 Sackett St.

LA Pride Parade on Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles’ most fabulous parade is back with a vengeance. After missing out on the opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers are promising an afternoon for the LGBTQ history books. More than 130 colorful floats, exotic cars, twirlers, and performers are set to participate in one of the largest LGBTQ Pride events in the world. This year’s grand marshals are LGBTQ rights pioneer and transgender icon Sir Lady Java, actor Mark Indelicato (”Ugly Betty,” " Hacks”) and Forever our Girl and ally extraordinaire Paula Abdul. Free, step off at 10:30 a.m. Hollywood Blvd. at Cahuenga Blvd.

Check back next week for Week 3.