Multi Gender! Multi Colors! Proud!

A Virtual Celebration of Pride Through PGCMLS

June is Pride Month - Celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and their triumphs in the struggle for equality, recognition, and the right to enjoy freedom without persecution.

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS)  is celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month with “Pride at PGCMLS,” an initiative that features 15+ virtual programs, the launch of a new LGBTQ+ history and culture webpage, and a virtual community pride month quilt project.

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first pride march in New York City in June of 1970. The march took place one year after the Stonewall Riots of June 1969 and marked a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history around the world. Two national bestselling authors, R. Eric Thomas (“Here for It”) and George M. Johnson (“All Boys Aren’t Blue”), PGCMLS staff, and community members will be featured in virtual programs that celebrate and honor powerful voices and experience of the LGBTQ+ community in Prince George’s County and the United States.

 “Pride at PGCMLS” Webpage

A highlight of the 2020 “Pride at PGCMLS” program is the launch of a new LGBTQ+ history and culture webpage (pgcmls.info/pride).

“Pride at PGCMLS” Virtual Events

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System - Laurel Branch

Two nationally renowned and bestselling authors are featured for “Pride at PGCMLS.” R. Eric Thomas will discuss his hit debut book “Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America” and George M. Johnson discusses his debut young adult memoir “All Boys Aren’t Blue”

The Library’s “Pride at PGCMLS” virtual event series also includes:

Programs for Children and Families:

·         Live Virtual Read-Aloud –June 4 & 5, 10 am (Ages 2-5)

·         STEM at Home: Hour of Code –  June 5, 12 pm (Ages 5-12)

·         Crafternoon: Show Your Pride – Make a Collage Flag – June 5, 3 pm (Families/Adults)

·         Bilingual Live Virtual Read-Aloud (English/Spanish) – June 6, 9:30 am (Ages 2-5)

·         Storytelling with ASL (American Sign Language) – June 6, 10 am (Ages 5-12)

·         STEM at Home: Spectroscope – June 12, 12 pm (Ages 5-12)

Programs for Teens and/or Adults:

·         “Pride at PGCMLS” Trivia and Happy Hour – June 4, 5:30 pm (Adults, 21+)

·         All-Ages LGBTQ+ Reader’s Advisory – June 4, 7 pm (Teens/Adults)

·         R. Eric Thomas on “Here for It” – June 9, 7 pm (Teens/Adults)

·         “Pride at PGCMLS” Viewer’s Advisory – June 15, 7 pm (Teens/Adults)

·         “Pride at PGCMLS” Career Chat – June 17, 4 pm (Teens/Young Professionals)

·         George M. Johnson on “All Boys Aren’t Blue” – June 17, 7 pm (Teens/Adults)

·         LGBTQ+ Zines Workshop – June 19, 4 pm (Teens/Adults)

·         #PGCMLSBookChat on Twitter – June 25, 12 pm (Teens/Adults)

Virtual Community Pride Quilt

Prince Georgians have the opportunity to contribute to a virtual community pride quilt that the Library is creating on its website and for social media. Any member of the public can submit a photo or video clip that describes or documents what pride means to them. Submissions will be accepted through June 19, 5 pm via email (pr@pgcmls.info). Submissions will be compiled into a virtual quilt that will be posted on pgcmls.info and on the Library’s social media in late June.

“Pride at PGCMLS” and It Gets Better Project

Select PGCMLS staff are creating short videos where they discuss their own journeys as members of the LGBTQ+ community. These videos will be shared on the Library’s social media and submitted to the It Gets Better Project, a global initiative that “inspires people across the globe to share their stories and remind the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth that hope is out there, and it will get better”

For more information, complete details are available at pgcmls.info/virtual-events.