The iconic New York Pride Parade, which started in 1970 and draws crowds of nearly 1.5 lakh people, has been cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But fret not, the event is going virtual, much like a host of other Pride-related events.
Closer home, WeWork India (a global platform that provides workplace solutions, in partnership with Embassy Group), brings the pride march to your living room. One of its programmes — designed and executed by Digitas, a global marketing and technology company — attempts to recreate the feeling of walking and participating in a Pride parade. The virtual street is covered in the colours of Pride. “The feeling of marching down a street standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the community is powerful and we wanted to move that experience online, with the same energy. By tweeting with the hashtag #pridestreetofwe, our messages of love and support are showcased on the street,” explains Vineet Singh, Group CMO, Embassy Group.
On June 15, WeWork India started the #PrideStreetofWe campaign to ensure that members of the LGBTQIA+ community feel included, supported and empowered during this period of isolation. “Through this campaign, WeWork embodies the spirit of what would normally be a bustling month lined with innumerable marches, activities, events and the coming together of people across genders in support of the highly marginalised LGBTQIA+ community,” adds Vineet.
One of the events planned as part of the celebrations is a virtual art exhibition, that goes live today. It features 16 works of art by queer artists from all over the nation. “Through this exhibition, they share the experiences that shaped their queerness and by doing this, hope to enable future generations in feeling comfortable being their authentic selves. To purchase the artwork, viewers can directly contact the artist,” explains Vineet. Some of the participating artists are Nandini Moitra, Chaitanyaa, and others from initiatives like The Queer Muslim Project.
The campaign will run till June 30.
For details, log on to https: //wework.co.in/india/pride
