Tattly Pride Week
What does Pride mean to you?
NYC’s Pride March is this weekend and we’ve been celebrating all week long! We spoke to seven Tattly-ed individuals about what Pride means to them.
Ben Wagner, Designer and Art Director
“It’s interesting to celebrate Pride for a weekend or a month out of the year, because for a lot of queer people, that’s just your lived experience. I feel really lucky to live in New York and be out and proud all the time, and not everyone can say that. I think it’s important to remember that while it’s this super fun weekend of celebration, a lot of people are out there everyday doing the work.”
Ben Wagner is an art director and designer based in Brooklyn, New York. A dollar from every sale of his Forever Rainbow Pin purchased on his or our site goes towards a queer nonprofit such as GMHC, the Transgender Law Center, or the Ali Forney Center.
Juwan Crawley, Actor, Singer, Songwriter
“Pride is important to me because it is the time when we get to honor the people whose sacrifice is so often forgotten. It is a chance to remind the world that we are here, and our arms are open ready to receive them. Above all, Pride is the chance to remind myself that regardless of everyone’s thoughts and feelings, my authentic self is more than enough.”
Juwan Crawley is an actor, singer, and songwriter living in New York City. He is currently starring in Aladdin where he made his Broadway debut as a standby for the Genie. He also played a role in one of his favorite shows, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He loves music, fashion, art, coffee, theater, film, but above all people.
Lisa Cifuentes, Head of Community at Creative Mornings
“Pride to me means recognizing my privilege to live authentically. I owe a lot to my brothers and sisters, and specifically the trans women of color, who came before me and fought for the rights I have today. While we still have a lot to achieve, this is a time for our community to come together and celebrate who we are.”
Lisa Cifuentes is the Head of Community at Creative Mornings, a free breakfast lecture series with chapters in 188 cities around the world. She is based in Brooklyn.
French Smith-O’Connor, Director of Global Initiatives at Out Leadership
“I celebrate Pride, out loud and in the streets, because I know viscerally what my visibility means for people who cannot be visible where they are. I’ve been out and proud for 18 years, and now it’s more important than ever.”
French Smith-O’Connor is the Director of Global Initiatives at Out Leadership, a network of LGBT+ leaders in business. “I have the privilege of working with inspirational #OutLEADERs and many of the world’s best companies who understand that advancing LGBT+ equality helps them realize #ReturnonEquality."
I’ve been out and proud for 18 years, and now it’s more important than ever.
Jordan Ho, Theater Artist
“Pride is inheritance. I am only able to express this ‘pride’ because of queer outlaws who came before me and their labor – the foundation they set for us to march on. I can only hope to continue the fight for queer liberation.”
Jordan Ho is an Asian non-binary interdisciplinary theatre artist living in Brooklyn. Catch xem at Dixon Place July 10th (7:30 PM) in Brin Solomon’s song cycle “Defiant, Majestic, and Beautiful” featuring a completely TGNC creative team!
Dani Martineck, Actor, Writer, Scientist
“The short answer to what Pride means to me is community. We all find community in different ways, but as deeply prosocial beings, most of us find it one way or another. What community means to me is the myriad small ways we find to support and uplift each other. I feel Pride as an extension of that for my LGBTQIA siblings: a time to remember and to celebrate what we can uplift in ourselves and each other.”
Dani Martineck is a New York-based non-binary actor, writer, and scientist. Connect with them on Instagram at @dmartintheneck. Or come see them act in Blackbox Playlist: Pride Edition on June 24th, hosted by Dan Savage at The Pit, with all proceeds benefiting the It Gets Better Project.
Julio Gomez & Larry Henderlight
“I came out late in life, so Pride for me may have a different meaning than for many. To me it is a celebration of the diversity of our community, of all the progress that we have made, and the work that is left to be done.”
Julio Gomez (left) is the dad of two talented daughters (Cristina and Ana), the husband of a extremely handsome and smart guy, and an engineer working in London, living life loud and proud. ⠀
“To me Pride means having the FREEDOM to express myself as a gay man without fear or shame. It is a time to express gratitude to those who fought and struggled for that right. We’ve come a long way since Stonewall but in this political climate we still have a long way to go. It’s a time for reflection as well as planning how best to move our cause forward."
Larry Henderlight is a pharmacist with a passion for healthcare. He’s also an avid trombone player, and plays in @atlantafreedombands, an LGBTQ volunteer community band that promotes acceptance through visibility in the Deep South.