Zoo gay
See and Be Your True Self
Author: Saint Louis Zoo Director Michael Macek
On June 28, 1969, Unused York police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a widespread dance bar frequented by gay and lesbian patrons. The raid was part of a campaign by the then Mayor to rid the city of immoral behavior he felt was damaging the city’s image. However, this evening was different; patrons did not willingly line up to be arrested. Instead, they resisted. Several more nights of resistance followed and came to be known as the Stonewall Uprising. This uprising is widely considered to be the twentieth century watershed event that transformed the lgbtq+ liberation movement for LGBTQ rights in the United States and is in part the reason we celebrate Homosexual Pride in the month of June.
I was seven years old when Stonewall took place. I have no recollection of the event and suspect I was simply enjoying the summer after the completion of my second grade school year. I know I spent time with my hamsters Fergie, named for the baseball player Fergie Jenkins who played for the Cubs at that period, and Schroeder, the piano playing Peanuts comic strip traits. Our miniature poodle Tracy would bring the hamsters
June 27 @ 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT
Pride Night has been rescheduled from June 14th to June 27th due to the forecasted thunderstorms during set up and event hours.
Are you looking for a wild yet age-inclusive way to celebrate Pride this year? 🦁🏳️🌈 Approach show your colors at the Virginia Zoo with your favorite friends, queens and allies! 💁♀️ Enjoy after-hours access to exhibits, greet awesome animal ambassadors 🦔🦎🦉, shop our Pride-themed market 🛍️, get to comprehend some incredible local organizations and resources, dance your heart out to a local DJ’s tunes 🪩, and like a rainbow of various activities throughout this all-ages event!
**Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, etc. to enjoy the live entertainment. Provided seating will be limited.
The Virginia Zoo is a contained, safe environment to celebrate Pride with your community. Additional security and staff will be on site to maintain a comfortable, positive space for all attendees.
Event Map
Activities
Activities for an additional cost:
*Please note that in order to not disrupt our animals’ routines, exhibit trails wil ‘Tis the season of love! Like humans, animals pair up in various ways. Some species mate for life, while others live in groups. Some only come together to reproduce and otherwise decide to be solitary. Below, discover ways that some species pair up—or don’t!—and learn about partners here at Lincoln Park Zoo. Pairs at the zoo hire in more than just procreation. Behaviors between individuals in same- or different-sex pairings can include courtship displays, affection, pair bonding, and parenting. Japanese macaques are known to form robust same-sex female bonds, spending time regularly grooming or embracing one another. Some male ostriches have a special courtship dance that they will only accomplish in front of other males. Japanese macaques. Photo courtesy of Julia Fuller. Penguins, flamingos, and birds of prey are known to create strong pair bonds between same-sex partners. At Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove, Pilchard and Maynard are an African penguin queer pair. These males attend to spend most of their days nearby one another. Opposite-sex pairings in the colony include TJ and Sunny, Liam and Maria, Mandela and Lesedi Gay Afternoon at the Zoo, the annual event that draws members of the LGBTQ community and their allies to the National Zoo, will be held on this Sunday, May 7. The annual event, which historically has served as a fundraiser for The DC Center for the LGBT Group, brings together representatives from some of the Center’s various social and peer support groups, along with community members interested in taking a stroll through the park and checking out various exhibits. Each year, the event suggestions family-friendly activities, including free concerts, selfie booths, and “animal enrichments,” where participants can watch demonstrations or interactions involving animals, such as having them play with rainbow-colored toys or eat rainbow-colored ice treats. This year, the biggest attraction promises to be the Giant Panda Rainbow Enrichment, which starts at 9:30 a.m., starring some of the zoo’s most popular inhabitants. The event also coincides with International Family Equality Night, which draws LGBTQ families and their children to the zoo, with a meet-up hosted by the LGBTQ youth group SMYAL at 10:30 a.
Love is in the Gas, and at Lincoln Park Zoo
“Gay Day at the Zoo” Is This Sunday, May 7