New York, NY, June 8, 2023 – NYC Pride announces our sixth Youth Pride, which features performances by Snookie Lanore, Amorphous, Devan Ibizia, Blue Man Group and more. Youth Pride will be held at Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Domino Park.
With bills specifically targeting Trans youth flooding state legislatures and growing all the more common, NYC Pride’s Youth Pride, which is specifically designed to celebrate and uplift LGBTQIA+ identifying youth and allies, comes at a time when identity affirmation for young LGBTQIA+ people is both crucial and lifesaving. In the wake of the infamous “Don’t Say Gay'' law in Florida there continues to be an alarming escalation in legislative, physical and emotional attacks on LGBTQ youth and their families, in particular transgender and non-binary youth. Trans youth and their families are being directly targeted with laws that ban trans youth participation in sports in addition to life-endangering laws that restrict access to trans-affirming health care and even extreme measures that seek to criminalize a family’s decision to support and affirm their child’s gender identity. NYC Pride is committed to creating safe spaces for Queer youth to gather in community and to love and live their truth.
Snookie Lanore (he/him) is an international Commentator and MC from Brooklyn, New York. He has been participating in the ballroom scene over 10 years, earning him the prestigious recognition of legendary within the community. Snookie is in the Kiki House of Juicy, and his mainstream house is the House of West. Snookie’s bookings take him all over the world, as he works to break barriers and expand the ballroom scene. To keep up with Snookie, follow his Snookie & Friends podcast on YouTube.
Amorphous (he/him), aka Jimir Reece Davis, is a filmmaker and all-round superstar who grew up in Philadelphia. His range of influences span Luther Vandross to Nine Inch Nails, Marvin Gaye to Hans Zimmer, James Brown to Britney Spears and more. Beatboxing by age four and producing on a Ableton at 16, Davis' career in the past five years has been highlighted in a series of viral moments, which include the critically acclaimed Bey-Z, his Beyonce and Jay Z mash-up album, a Rihanna "Work"/Aaliyah "Rock The Boat" mash-up that reached BBC Radio 1, a Rihanna documentary and his Luther Vandross and Rihanna mash-up "Sunshine," which has over seventy million streams.
Devan Ibizia (he/him) is a Producer/DJ who was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a Puerto Rican talent with a deep passion for music, Devan has entertained audiences of all kinds at venues that range from small parties to Madison Square Garden. His creativity led him to create "Dev's Basement," a show featuring upcoming artists while showcasing his own beats, as well as wildly popular social media content such as "How to Make a Beat.”
Blue Man Group will rock your world, blow your mind, and unleash your spirit. Combining chaos, paint, drums, airborne marshmallows and an art gallery taken over by three men painted blue that can only be described after as “I don’t even know where to begin.”
This year’s Youth Pride is co-hosted by Isis King (she/her), an American actress, influencer and humanitarian who is one of the most notable transgendered women of this generation. While living in New York in the Ali Forney Center for LGBTQ homeless youth, she rose to fame as the first woman of transgender experience to compete on both the 11th and 17th (All-Star) cycle of America’s Next Top Model. As a result, King became an icon. As an actress, she is currently a principal on the hit Amazon show, With Love, and has played pivotal roles on the Emmy Winning miniseries When They See Us, The L-Word, Good Trouble, The Bold and The Beautiful and Showtime’s hit show Shameless. An advocate of human rights, King has been a part of the board for the Ali Forney Center, FOLX Health and is an ambassador for GLAAD and the LGBTQ Center. King has partnered with elite brands such as Savage X Fenty by Rihanna, Verizon, Staples, Ikea, AT&T, HBO, Essence, Facebook, Gabrielle Union for New & Company and Abercrombie & Fitch. She uses her voice and experience to inspire young adults by speaking at colleges and universities across the country about self-love and the importance of living your truth and continues to spread love and understanding as her mission.
Co-host Tangina Stone (she/they) is one of Teen Vogue’s “Women Reshaping Music.” The Ohio-native and Brooklynite’s distinct voice and brand of soul, rock, electronic and pop has brought her to stages in New York, Toronto, Tokyo and London. As a Queer, multidisciplinary, Black artist – Tangina Stone is here to reshape what identity and spaces of expression feel like for women and Queer artists in music. Operating without boxes, just vibes; Tangina’s talent knows no boundary, yet is distinctly her own. Whether being the voice of Monster High character Twyla, composing music for TV & film or collaborating with some of music’s biggest names – she’s taken up space in areas of the music industry and genres, like EDM, traditionally not occupied by Black artists – much less Black female artists. Her new album Pisces is out now on ADA-Warner with EP – “By The Fire” following in June 2023. The projects call in the elements of fire and water and invite listeners to feel their emotions more deeply and without boundaries – just like the music. Both projects flow effortlessly into and between each other with soundscapes of pop, rock, soul, hip-hop and R&B present in a symphony only Tangina could conduct. An activist, artist and business woman – Tangina is poised to notably impact the musical landscape as she continues to be a beacon for all who don’t settle for the standard, they create it.
Other featured performances and appearances include It Gets Better Project, DJ Tru Violet, Nene L.A. Shiro and Gotham Cheer.
Youth Pride is produced in solidarity with It Gets Better Project, Blue Man Group, Children’s Museum of Art, Gotham Cheer and GLSEN.
“We're thrilled to partner with multidisciplinary artist Sam Kirk for our in-person activation at NYC Pride's Youth Pride," said Eboni Munn, Director of Storytelling and Strategic Marketing, It Gets Better Project. "Supporting events like Youth Pride ensure that the voices of LGBTQIA+ teens and allies are truly heard."
Two Trees’ Domino Park is an award-winning public park located just north of the Williamsburg Bridge that celebrates the history of one of New York’s most iconic industrial waterfront sites. Running parallel along the entire 11-acre Domino Sugar Factory site, the transformative 6-acre park unlocks space previously inaccessible to the Williamsburg community for over a century. Designed by James Corner Field Operations and built and operated by Two Trees Management, Domino Park integrates historic industrial artifacts from the landmarked Domino Refinery across the site, uncovering and honoring the story of New York’s history in the sugar trade. Shaped by extensive community input, Domino Park features volleyball and bocce courts, a dog run, children’s play fountain, a passive recreation area, and a playground that mimics the sugar refining process. Domino Park also incorporates a resilient design approach including raising the platform two to seven feet above the new FEMA flood elevations ensuring that the site will be protected from flooding. Since opening in June 2018, Domino Park has welcomed over 5 million visitors. For more information on Domino Park, please visit www.dominopark.com.
Youth Pride will take place at Domino Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Saturday June 24 at 12:00pm EDT. The event is free, but RSVP is required via nycpride.org/tickets.
More information about NYC Pride, including how to volunteer, can be found at nycpride.org.
Media Contacts:
David Clarke | Senior Communications Manager
Dan Dimant | Media Director
ABOUT HERITAGE OF PRIDE Heritage of Pride, Inc. is the volunteer-directed organization behind the official NYC Pride roster of events. Heritage of Pride’s mission is to work toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law. We do this by producing LGBTQIA+ Pride events that inspire, educate, commemorate, and celebrate our diverse community.
