Jun 02, 2021 [[read-time]] minute read
We believe that everyone should be able to find communities of support, break down barriers, transcend borders and come together around shared interests and passions. The LGBTQ+ community is one of the cornerstone communities to have found acceptance, representation and a home on YouTube, and have been a vital part of making YouTube what it is today.
As part of our ongoing commitment to support the LGBTQ+ community, we’re hosting a month-long series of celebrations that will also raise funds for The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. This includes a “Give With Pride” challenge and a “YouTube Pride 2021” live stream celebration in which we hope to reach a campaign goal of $500K. Throughout the month, YouTube will also match every dollar donated to the “Give With Pride” campaign up to $250K. Money generated from this year's Pride live stream events will go directly toward supporting LGBTQ+ youth and expanding safe, accepting, inclusive spaces where all young people can be themselves – not only during Pride month, but all year long.
Read on to find out more about all the ways you can celebrate with YouTube this Pride.
We’re kicking off the month with a “Give With Pride” challenge.
We’re kicking off the month with a “Give With Pride” challenge. YouTube Creators like Patrick Starr, Gigi Gorgeous and Elle of the Mills are joining the challenge, and have all agreed to upload a highly anticipated and requested video (like bleaching their hair or getting a tattoo!) if they reach the combined campaign goal of $500K for The Trevor Project. In the U.K., creators such as Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, Jamie Raines, and Shaaba Lotun are similarly raising funds in support of akt, a charity supporting LGBTQ+ youth who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment.
On Friday, June 25, tune in to "YouTube Pride 2021," YouTube Originals’ multi-hour, star-studded live stream event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for this year’s biggest Pride celebration that you can join from home! On Friday, June 25, tune in to “YouTube Pride 2021,” YouTube Originals’ multi-hour, star-studded live stream event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. This global, virtual celebration will feature celebrity emcees Demi Lovato, Trixie Mattel, Daniel Howell, and Olly Alexander with Mawaan Rizwan each hosting their Pride party from their respective YouTube channels. Musical performances, giving challenges, special guests, live moments and much more will be featured throughout the back-to-back celebrations. Select creators’ videos from the “Give With Pride” challenge will air throughout the multi-hour live stream, and you’ll be able to continue donating directly to the challenge via YouTube’s Donate button.
You can also tune into iHeartRadio and P&G’s Can’t Cancel Pride fundraising concert event featuring Bebe Rexha, Brothers Osborne, Hayley Kiyoko, JoJo Siwa and many more on June 4th at 9 p.m. ET.
And later in the month, YouTube Gaming will be hosting a live Minecraft competition featuring creators from around the world with the goal of bringing awareness to mental health issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
Foundry alumni Arlo Parks on the cover of Celebrating Pride playlist
This Pride, we also want to celebrate and highlight the awesome LGBTQ+ creators, artists and allies on YouTube!
We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ youth who show us all how to live and love, label-free, with a playlist that you can find right on the YouTube homepage that features uplifting content from YouTube creators like Anna Akana and Tarek Ali. You can also hear bold and brave conversations from Georgia Bridgers and Sufi Malik as they share their personal journeys to self acceptance.
To keep the vibes going, YouTube Music will also be honoring Pride month in a variety of ways across the platform. On YouTube Music, you'll be able to tap into the “Celebrating Pride'' playlist which includes music from both iconic and up-and-coming artists. In addition to this playlist, fans can also enjoy several others that celebrate Pride and showcase the incredible breadth of music on YouTube. And stay tuned to @YouTubeMusic’s social handles over the course of the month to see some of your favorite musicians like Arlo Parks, Claud, serpentwithfeet, Mykki Blanco and more celebrating Pride.
And to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, check out our YouTube Learning destination where we’ll have several playlists and videos, including A Brief History of Pride, which explores the origins and key elements of Pride from the rainbow flag to gender pronouns. We’ll also showcase The Stonewall Riots: Birth of a Movement playlist that looks at the 1969 events and how they were a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights.
Every year, we come together to celebrate Pride and honor all the work that LGBTQ+ creators, artists and allies are doing to shape our culture and make meaningful contributions to the world. We look forward to celebrating with you all!
Happy Pride!!