This June, the Free Library of Philadelphia celebrates Pride Month with events, programs, and resources that amplify LGBTQ+ voices and stories.
Everyone is welcome and everyone belongs at the Free Library. We value the LGBTQ+ community and remain committed to providing high-quality programs, services, and materials by and for members of the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender people and youth. As you review this year’s Pride Month offerings, we hope you find something that inspires you.
This year's Pride celebration theme is Always Been Here, Always Will Be, acknowledging that LGBTQ+ people are not a modern phenomenon. Queer individuals lived, loved, created, resisted, and thrived — often in the margins, sometimes in the spotlight, but always present. Our identities are not trends or deviations, but are deeply rooted in human history. And just as we’ve endured erasure and oppression, we will continue to exist, resist, and shine.
View the full Pride Month calendar online, and find a few examples of the great programs coming to a library near you below:
- Collage as Resistance - Early Pride Program for Teens | Wednesday, May 21 at 3:00 p.m. → Bustleton Library
- I'm Proud of Me: Creating Our Pride Flags | Monday, June 2 at 3:30 p.m. → Wyoming Library
- Rainbow Parenting Book Club | Tuesday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. → Fox Chase Library
- Vogue 101 with Jahad Martin | Tuesday, June 3 at 3:30 p.m. → Field Teen Center at Parkway Central Library
- Drag Queen Storytime in Clark Park | Friday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. → Clark Park
- Letter Writing to Incarcerated Trans Folks | Friday, June 6 at 1:00 p.m. → Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library
- KidRave Dance Party! | Friday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m. → Welsh Road Library
- Gender and Sexuality Fundamentals | Monday, June 9 at 5:15 p.m. → Chestnut Hill Library
- Fierce, Fabulous Face Painting | Thursday, June 12 at 2:00 p.m. → West Oak Lane Library
- Rainbow Lacing Craft | Friday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. → Northeast Regional Library
- Philly's Black LGBTQ+ Nightlife Scene: A Panel Discussion | Monday, June 16 at 5:30 p.m. → Social Science and History Department at Parkway Central Library
- Pride Movie Party: Dating Amber | Tuesday, June 17 at 4:00 p.m. → Kingsessing Library
- Queer Yoga for All | Saturday, June 21 at 11:00 a.m. → Independence Library
- Pride Concert with the Philadelphia Freedom Band | Saturday, June 21 at 12:00 p.m. → Parkway Central Library
Our LGBTQ+ Resources
Check out our LGBTQ+ Explore page, which includes helpful links to information and resources about health, activism, bullying, LGBTQ+ youth, legal support, and the important work of local LGBTQ+ organizations; podcasts from our Author Events series; and blog posts on a range of related topics, such as coming out at work and the history of drag storytimes and the controversy that often surrounds them.
Interested in curating your reading list for Pride Month? Browse these Free Library book and materials lists, which include picture book recommendations, fiction and nonfiction, DVDs, nominees for the Stonewall and GLAAD Media awards, and much more! We also have book lists created by the Rainbow Connection, an LGBTQ+ group of Free Library staff across all job classes that serves to support each other and Philadelphia's queer communities.
Pride Month is the perfect time to learn more about Barbara Gittings and the Gittings Collection! Located at the Independence Library, the Gittings Collection is the largest LGBTQ+ public library collection east of San Francisco. Barbara passed away in 2007, but the collection continues as a tribute to her memory and achievements.
Finally, show off your Pride with the Free Library's original Pride design shirts — now with more style options!
Pride, at its core, is about celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. It is an affirmation of living your authentic self. Celebrating Pride is not only for LGBTQ+ people; everyone is encouraged to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month and year-round.
Check out the full Free Library Pride Month calendar. We're excited to celebrate Pride Month with you!
Any comments or concerns regarding our programming or material selections may be addressed using the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form.
Have a question for Free Library staff? Please submit it to our Ask a Librarian page and receive a response within two business days.