The Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade is one of the largest parades in the city year after year. The 31st consecutive parade in the city was special this year because it commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City. The Stonewall Riots were a clash between the local police and gay rights activists that is credited with being the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ movement. The Gay Pride Parade Festival took place at the Great Plaza down Penn’s Landing on June 7th 2019 and organizations ranging from WAWA to the Philadelphia Flyers came out to support. The money raised from these events is used to fund the Non-Profit Organization Philly Pride Presents, which has been organizing the parade, Outfest, and other events related to the LGBTQ community. Outfest is the nations largest coming out festival and encompasses the entire Gayborhood.
We Love Philly recently volunteered for the parade and it was a magical day. Students interacted with many organizations and peers that embodied the spirit of togetherness that the parade fosters. Students were under the direction of Senior Advisor Chuck Volz who managed the hundreds of volunteers who participated at the festival down Penn’s Landing. The entire festival is organized by volunteers and it would not be possible to enjoy this beautiful party every year without them. If you would like to volunteer for upcoming events with them email them at pridevolunteers@aol.com or call their office at 215-875-9288. They meet at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays, and their meetings are open to the public. We Love Philly students recently sat down with Chuck Volz to interview him for our podcast and we recently made a volunteer video for their organization. Check out below for the volunteer video we made for Philly Pride Presents and listen to our podcast interview with Chuck Volz underneath the pictures at the top of the page.