Life

You Can Attend Pride Virtually With This

by Emma Cueto

June is Pride Month, and although this one hasn't been an easy one by any means, it's still an opportunity for LGBTQ people to celebrate their community. And to make sure that as many people as possible get that chance, Google has created a virtual Pride experience, letting people get a taste of marching in Pride parades in 25 different countries. Because everyone in the LGBTQ community deserves a chance to celebrate Pride, no matter who they are or where they live.

Pride is an incredibly important thing, a chance to come together as a community, to show solidarity, to feel connected, to be oneself in public. However, only about half of the LGBTQ people in the United States have attended a Pride event in their lifetime. And while some of those people might simply not be interested, many also might be unable to attend due to the fact that there aren't events in their area, because they aren't out yet, or because they don't feel free to publicly participate.

Some people might also not feel safe. Tragically, this year Pride Month in the United States has also been marked by violence against the LGBTQ community: The shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. As a result, many people in the LGBTQ community have worried about their safety if they attend Pride events this year.

And that's all just in the United States, which, though far from perfect, has become relatively much more open and accepting of LGBTQ people in recent decades. In countries where LGBTQ people face greater stigma or are even persecuted by law, attending Pride is a much riskier venture — if there are even Pride events to attend at all.

Which is why it's awesome that Google is giving people everywhere a chance to virtually participate in Pride via their #PrideForEveryone interactive, virtual reality video.

The video was created from footage taken from Pride events in 25 countries, including Israel, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and more. Viewers can use YouTube 360 to adjust the view on screen, experiencing Pride Parades around the world from 360 degrees.

This isn't the first time people have used the internet to help people around the world experience Pride remotely. Last year, for instance, the Amsterdam Pride Parade launched Pridestream, which broadcast a live video from one of the boats in the parade, letting people from all over the world feel like they were there. And hopefully this trend of virtual Pride events continues, because everyone in the LGBTQ community deserves the chance to participate in Pride.

"Pride is a time when those who have access to vibrant LGBTQ communities take to the streets to celebrate the freedom to live and love," Google writes in a blog post introducing the video.

They also write:

Google’s mission has always been to make information universally accessible. And within that mission lies the belief that the more knowledge we have, the more tolerant, inclusive and respectful the world ultimately will be. ... With #prideforeveryone, we stand prouder than ever in our embrace of the LGBTQ community.

Amen.