How can you celebrate Pride Month in Kansas City? Here are some places to go

Pride Month celebrations have officially started in Kansas City.

Throughout June, events around the metropolitan area will honor LGBTQ voices and experiences in commemoration of the Stonewall riots of 1969.

Among the celebrations there will be parties, releases of rainbow-inspired beers, a barbecue with free food and a talk show to discuss the role of the LGBTQ commission of Kansas City. Many events will focus on entertainment and education, including online discussions about activism.

Sports fans have the chance to celebrate Pride during a June 18 tailgate at Kauffman Stadium before the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox game. Restaurants in the historic 18th and Vine District will conclude the month with a Pride event featuring brunch, family activities and a drag show.

Here are details of the events:

▪ The Black LGBTQ community will have a chance to gather at Brunch with Quez and Friends Pride Edition on Saturday. The event is a talk show that will include performances from artists such as The Artist LJ and Effie Altoro. One of the goals of the event according to Marquez Beasly, CEO of Quez Presents, is to gather different groups and have open discussions about issues the LGBTQ community faces and that they don’t get to talk about frequently. The special guest will be the LGBTQ commission of Kansas City.

It will be a chance to ask the commission about its initiatives for the city, Beasly said.

The event starts at 11 a.m. and people can buy tickets for $10 on the Quez Presents website. The Transgender Empowerment Society will receive 30% of the profits.

▪ LGBTQ communities in Kansas City can also celebrate pride during the Friday Night Groove Party and the Saturday Night Glow Party organized by Lyfestyle Entertainment. They will take place in The G-Spot club Friday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10. Those who want to score some free food can also join the Pride Weekend Come Together BBQ starting at 3 p.m. Sunday on Blue Valley Park. Entrance to this event is free.

▪ The 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City will be receiving local vendors and anyone who wants to attend the 21c Pride Marketplace at 5 p.m. Music will be provided by David Overholt with food from The Savoy.

The goal of the event, according to Jori Cheville, museum manager, is to support locally owned LGBTQ businesses. The event is free and there will be a raffle to raise money for BlaqOut KC.

▪ Servaes Brewing Company in Shawnee will host food trucks and serve four “rainbow-inspired” beers. The first one will be released Saturday and the others on June 11, 18, and 25. These events will raise money for the Kansas City Pride Community Alliance, which provides education and support to LGBTQ+ communities, and I Support the Girls Kansas City, which provides hygiene products to those experiencing homelessness.

Courtney Servaes, owner of the brewing company, said she likes to celebrate Pride month and observe the support for the community in her brewery.

“It’s really cool to just walk out into the tap room and see a bunch of people just like me that are enjoying beer and being who they are and not feeling like they have to hide it,” Servaes said.

“A lot of our straight customers will buy the rainbow T-shirts, they will buy the rainbow glassware, they will celebrate,” she said.

▪ Proclaiming Pride 2021, an event with performances and storytelling from Stephonne Singleton, Calvin Arsenia, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, CJ Duffie and others will take place at the Community Christian Church Thursday. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets to enter are free.

▪ The Mid-continent Public Library will host an online discussion about the history of LGBTQ activism in Kansas City with Stuart Hinds, curator of Special Collections & Archives University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Austin Williams, director of the award-winning documentary The Ordinance Project. Hinds said the event is important because it brings awareness to civil right struggles and forgotten history.

“Some people know about the activism in the late 80s and early 90s,” Hinds said. “But far fewer know about national-level activism that was going on in Kansas City in the mid-60s.”

Registration is free on the library’s website to join the session at 6:30 p.m. June 16.

▪ Pride Night at Kauffman Stadium is June 18, when the Royals take on the Boston Red Sox at 7:10 p.m. Those attending the game can purchase a Pride Night package with a limited edition rainbow Royals pocket tank top. Before the game, the Out With the Royals fan group will host a Pride Tailgate at 4:30 p.m.

▪ Heartland Men’s Chorus will stream United, a performance that celebrates LGBTQ history and culture. The chorus gathered at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral on May 30 to record the show. It will premiere June 12 at 7 p.m. on HMCKC’s Facebook and Youtube channel.

▪ The Queer Experience art show will bring musicians, artists and storytellers from the LGBTQIA community to share their stories through visual and performance art, music and discussions. The show will run from June 18 to July 16 at the InterUrban ArtHouse and a free reception will be held June 18 from 5-10 p.m.

▪ The 21c Pride Cocktail Party, hosted by the 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City, at 5 p.m. June 19 will feature DJ Sir Queen and Tom’s Town Distilling specialty cocktails. Entrance is free, although the museum is suggesting $10 donations to the ACLU of Missouri.

▪ Pride on the Vine 2021 will be the last event of the month to commemorate the LGBTQ community in Kansas City. There will be vendors and restaurants with activities such as brunch, bingo, trivia, and scavenger hunts on June 26 in the historic 18th and Vine District. The event is family-friendly from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. After that there will be a drag show and a dance party for people who are 21 or older. Early bird tickets can be purchased for $5 until they are sold out and general admission tickets are $10.