Loss of NYC’s 50th Annual Pride March Hinders Visibility
The cancellation of NYC’s 2020 Pride March is not just a loss of festivities, but also a loss of visibility.
Source: NY LGBT Sites
Mayor Bill De Blasio announced on April 20 that all permits for June events in New York City would be nullified due to COVID-19 concerns. This decision has caused the first ever cancellation of the city’s annual Pride March since its inception in 1970, hitting during the event’s pivotal 50th anniversary. While some cities are looking to postpone their festivities for a later date in 2020, the co-chair of NYC Pride, Maryanne Roberto Fine, stated that “large scale events such as [the march] are unlikely to happen in the near future” and that they will need to “reimagine NYC Pride events” (via Forbes).
While there is talk about attempting to digitize NYC Pride and host the celebrations online, there is a newfound uncertainty in regards to the future of the LGBTQIA+ community’s public voice. New York City’s Pride March is the largest in the country, consistently drawing in over two million people every year. Since its conception, the event has encapsulated the demand for acceptance and liberty of expression for the LGBTQIA+ community. These demands become significantly less visible in an online space. When the streets of a city are flooded by millions, it is hard to turn a blind eye on the festivities. In the digital world, it simply takes one click.
Source: NY Curbed
For a community that has been systematically erased from history and media, visibility is vital for progress. The NYC Pride March is a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community’s call to freely be loud and proud; the move to online spaces greatly limits their volume, and thus fosters concern about how this will limit LGBTQIA+ awareness. To combat this, there has been a push to remain visible in the online hemisphere. Hashtags such as #LGBTQuarantine have risen to top trending spots on Twitter because of community members posting selfies decorated with unapologetic rainbows and smiles. Their faces serve as a reminder that in a time of isolation and fear, it is more important than ever to be vocal, open minded, and most importantly, proud.
Report: Nicolette Schneiderman
The Fashion Industry Responds To The COVID-19 Crisis
The fashion industry has also had to make adjustments. Their hot new product? The surgical mask.
Due to the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, everyone has been advised to self-quarantine in their homes. Businesses have had to make several adjustments. Restaurants are only doing takeout, supermarkets can only let in a few people at a time, and people are having meetings on Zoom. The fashion industry has also had to make adjustments. Their hot new product? The surgical mask.
Since people have been advised to wear masks when they rarely go out in public, this has started to lead to a shortage. Designer Christian Siriano recently announced that he will be making masks to help with this issue, and several other brands and designers have followed. Siriano announced this with a tweet to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statement that if anyone could make masks, Cuomo would fund it. Siriano said that his full team was in their homes and available to help. Siriano then received a pattern and then delivered a similar fabric to each of his employees. Siriano's studio was deemed an essential business, and was then turned into a mask assembly line, with each employee standing six feet apart.
Report: Anna Bechtel
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.