Philadelphia’s Guide to Pride WITH SHEILA ALEXANDER-REID Philadelphia is one of the country’s most LGBTQ+-friendly cities, with a long history of activism and pride. Sheila Alexander-Reid, executive director of PHL Diversity (a division of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau) shares information on the city’s LGBTQ+ community and Pride celebrations. Discover the vibrant LGBTQ+ community woven throughout Philadelphia, particularly in the officially city-sanctioned Gayborhood, in the eastern area of Center City. The streets exude pride with rainbow-decorated signs officially designated by the City of Philadelphia, symbolizing their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Explore the rich history of both the Gayborhood and Philadelphia’s activism on Beyond the Bell’s Philly Gayborhood and LGBTQ History Tour . Guides spill all the historical tea as they discuss the evolution of Pride, highlight LGBTQ+ icons, and take visitors to Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room — America’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookstore. After hours, explore the Gayborhood’s fabulous nightlife and grab a beer at Woody’s or Tavern on camac — a piano bar serving drinks since 1937. VISIT PHILADELPHIA’S GAYBORHOOD A Welcoming City Did you know? In 1965, four years before the Stonewall Riots in New York, a group of protesters began an annual July Fourth Pride March — known as the “Reminder Day Demonstrations” — in front of Independence Hall. Philadelphia is the largest city in the U.S. to be designated a Certified Welcoming city by Welcoming America. GIOvANNI’S ROOM ©Raw But Meaningful LLC 22
Philadelphia Official Visitors Guide Spring/Summer 2024: Page 22
