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American singer-songwriter Kesha is set to headline the Pride Live Stonewall Day event slated to take place on June 24 in New York City. The event will take place outside the historic Stonewall Inn, with more details to follow. Tickets will be available through Pride Live. The event will stream live on Pride Live’s YouTube channel from 1 to 3 pm ET.
Kesha: the headliner at Stonewall Day 2022
Pride Live, a social advocacy organization for the LGBTQ community, announced that Kesha will headline Stonewall Day 2022.
In a statement, the TikTok fame singer said:
“I am so honored to be a part of this historic event. As a forever advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, I’m excited to embark on this monumental occasion with my friends at Pride Live and perform for Stonewall Day.”
She further added:
“Stonewall is a special place for the queer community and I cannot wait to honor and celebrate how far we have come while standing in the conviction that the fight for equality in this country is ever upon us, and I will never back down. Come dance with me!”
Also among the performers at the festival will be Shea Diamond, Mila Jam, and queer indie pop band Betty. Stonewall Day will also feature choreography by creative director Kellen Stancil.
The event will further feature video messages from former President Barack Obama, Chelsea Clinton, Adam Lambert, Rufus Wainwright, Billy Porter, Conchita Wurst, Tom Daley, Dustin Lance Black, and Duncan Crabtree-Evelyn.
The previous Stonewall pride festival featured performances from Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Alicia Keys, among others.
The significance of Stonewall Riots
Stonewall Day is a global campaign aimed at elevating awareness and support for Stonewall's legacy and the continuing fight for full LGBTQ+ equality. Stonewall Day is a recent event that was established five years ago by Pride Live. However, the significance of the day dates back to 1969.
The Stonewall Riots or Stonewall rebellion was a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. The raid took place at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York City. The Rebellion is considered to constitute the most important event leading to the gay rights movement and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.
Kesha as an LGBT icon
In 2016, Kesha was honoured with the Visibility Award by the The Human Rights Campaign in Nashville. The singer was recognised for her support of the LGBT community and for speaking out against bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
In a 2019 interview with Attitude, Kesha said:
"I have always been attracted to the soul behind a person's eyes. It has never occurred to me to care about a specific gender, or how someone is identifying, to make me wonder about whether or not I'm attracted to them."
Kesha, who is involved in LGBT activism, has also performed legal commitment ceremonies for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
