Kimpton Partners with The Trevor Project to Celebrate Pride
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants celebrates Pride this year with the brand's longtime charity partner, The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people. Festivities will be hosted at Kimpton properties in three of the nation's most spirited cities and include a drag brunch event series featuring Willam from "A Star is Born" and "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4." The series, titled Kimpton Off the Record Presents: Brunch Out With Trevor, will include celebrations full of delicious food, cocktails and live drag performances. All proceeds will go toward The Trevor Project.
The dates and locations of the events are as follows:
New York City — Saturday, June 29 (12 - 3 p.m.), at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi (in conjunction with WorldPride)
Austin — Sunday, August 11 (12 - 3 p.m.), at the Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt (in conjunction with Austin Pride)
Philadelphia, Saturday, October 19 (12 - 3 p.m.) at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia (in conjunction with GLAAD's Spirit Day on October 17)
Kimpton and The Trevor Project's decision to host the drag brunches in these cities was a thoughtful choice. Over the last year, The Trevor Project has supported more than 6,000 crisis contacts in the state of New York, more than 5,000 crisis contacts in Texas, and nearly 3,500 crisis contacts in Pennsylvania. As shocking as these numbers are, they represent only a fraction of the LGBTQ youth estimated to be in crisis in these areas and who could benefit from The Trevor Project's 24/7 free and confidential support programs.
"We're so grateful to Kimpton for their commitment to local LGBTQ communities, especially their work to ensure LGBTQ guests and employees know they are welcome in their hotels and restaurants," said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director for The Trevor Project. "With Willam at the helm of Brunch Out With Trevor this year, we know our message of support will reach LGBTQ youth so they know they're never alone, and can always reach out to The Trevor Project for support 24/7."
Additional regional celebrations include the following:
This summer in Washington, D.C., Kimpton Carlyle Hotel Dupont Circle will debut "One Voice," an art exhibition supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. The exhibition will display works from local LGBTQ artists and allies such as Tom Hill, Maggie O'Neill, Watson Jones, Rose Jaffee, Michael Crossett and others in the hotel's living room. The space serves as a rotating public art gallery space. The exhibition will be free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5 per person that will benefit The Trevor Project (June 5 - September 2)
The Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood will hold a Pride by Design weekend with an eclectic mix of events highlighting art, fashion, and music (June 7 - 9).
At the Kimpton Saint George in Toronto, local drag queen, Tynomi Banks, will host a Drag Queen Wine Hour (June 12).
The Skyline at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles will host its second annual Shakespeare on the Deck: "A Midsummer Night's Dream," this time with an LGBTQ-focused storyline. Director Mikey Mulhearn will stage a unique, interactive performance, transforming the Everly's rooftop space into the vibrant club "DROM," where runaway lovers go to meet, gender-defying fairies dispute, and hard-working women rehearse a play (June 21-23).
The Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa team will be hosting 'RIDE SUNDAY FUNDAY' event at the hotel's Heaton's Reef; the event will be free of charge and be an all-inclusive, family-friendly beach party with beach games, discounted food and drinks, and DJ'ed tunes by Scott Roberts of Orlando (June 30).
Pride festivities will also extend beyond these regional events. For guests traveling for Pride, The Trevor Project rate offer will provide 15% off Kimpton's Best Flexible Rate with a $10 donation per night to the organization.
"We're thrilled to continue working with The Trevor Project to celebrate Pride this month as the organization fits perfectly with our mission of promoting and celebrating individuality and self-expression," said Mike DeFrino, Chief Executive Officer of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "At Kimpton, diversity and inclusion are what make our organization so vibrant - we're committed to continue being a place where everyone is welcome as they are."
Although Pride Month is a great time to bring awareness to LGBTQ rights, Kimpton's passion for celebrating Pride is a yearlong effort. Kimpton is consistently recognized for going above and beyond with comprehensive benefits that are transgender and same-sex inclusive. The brand has also earned a 100 percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) Corporate Equality Index for fourteen years running.