Portsmouth PRIDE 2022 Could See Record-Breaking Numbers

Press release from Seacoast Outright:

June 15, 2022

Organizers for Portsmouth PRIDE 2022 continue to field requests from all sectors in preparation for the PRIDE March and Marketplace / Main Stage celebration on June 25, 2022. Vendors and partners want to be involved as the organization brings its full event back to the seacoast.

In its 29th year, Seacoast Outright is working with dozens of community groups and businesses to make this year an event to remember.

The PRIDE march gathers at Market Square at 12 noon and marches to the Strawbery Banke Museum where the fun will continue with music on stage, a nearly 100 vendor Marketplace, beer tent and food trucks through 5pm.

Schedule of events for Saturday, June 25, 2022.

12:00 pm

PRIDE March gathers at Market Square in Portsmouth, NH

12:30 pm

PRIDE March will begin, and will march to Strawbery Banke Museum

1:00 - 5:00 pm

Join us for food, the Throwback Brewery Party Tent, activities, almost 100 vendors, community resources, and more!

Music on the Mainstage with headliner Mary Lambert at the Strawbery Banke Great Lawn

Portsmouth PRIDE is happy to welcome our headline entertainer, grammy-nominated, triple-platinum selling artist, singer/songwriter, and spoken word artist Mary Lambert. More information can be found at https://marylambertsings.com/

Also scheduled to appear:

Random Ideas

Adrianne Mack-Davis

Karen Grenier

Speakers scheduled to appear include:

• Deaglan McEachern - Mayor of the City of Portsmouth
• Congressman Chris Pappas - US House of Representatives
• Hershey Hirschkopf - Seacoast Outright Executive Director
• Palana Hunt-Hawkins from TransAction NH
• Jen McGowan (big) and Cyrus (little) - big/little match from our Community Partners Big Brothers Big Sisters NH
• Jules Good from Neighborhood Access

7:00 - 10:00 pm

Portsmouth PRIDE Free Youth After-Party at First United Methodist Church. Dancing, pizza and Drag shows. Wear your Pride, bring your friends and dance and party the night away!

7:00 - 10:00 pm

Portsmouth PRIDE 21+ After-Party “All Aboard with Bianca York” at TOUR Portsmouth. Tickets for this event are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Dancing, specialty cocktails, lawn games, golf and unforgettable drag artistry! It’s the Seacoast event of the decade! Dress to be seen as a PRIDE mover and a shaker in the community.

During the weeks before and the week of Portsmouth PRIDE, many community partners will be holding fundraisers to benefit Seacoast Outright. Some of them include:

Flatbread Pizza

Portsmouth Feed Co.

The Wilder

and others… Check them all at our calendar at www.seacoastoutright.org/pride

Generous financial sponsors for this year’s Portsmouth PRIDE event include:

• New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
• Foundation for Seacoast Health
• Cambridge Trust Charitable Foundation
• Kennebunk Savings Bank
• Eastern Bank

Seacoast Outright Executive Director, Hershey Hirschkop, said, “The past few years have been tough on LGBTQ+ kids – not only because of the isolation of the pandemic, but also the profoundly hateful message coming from the Republican majority in the State Legislature. HB 1431, a bill which would force school guidance counselors and teachers to out children to their parents, would only further increase the numbers of LGBTQ+ kids who experience depression, anxiety, and yes, suicidality. It was narrowly defeated this year, but you can bet we’ll see this again.

Now is the time to be an ally and show your full-throated support for LGBTQ+ folks, people identifying as women, and people of color as rights and protections continue to be stripped away. Join us on June 25th to show your PRIDE.”

Seacoast Outright supports LGBTQ+ youth, and their parents / caregivers with a variety of programs to support various needs. Some people are looking for community and a chance to be social with others, but others are really struggling right now – not just with their own lives during COVID in the past years, but in a world that is currently quite hostile toward them, including legislation aimed at transgender people.

This press release was produced by Seacoast Outright. The views expressed here are the author's own.