Pride in the Palm of Your Hand
June is Pride month, and that means it's time to take off your shirt, paint some glitter on your eyes and march down the street all in the name of visibility. Unless you're Johnny Weir, this opportunity comes around only once a year.
Pride month can be a busy time. There are parades, block parties, concerts, celebrities, lots of drinking and the occasional jock strap. So many events, so many details - you may find yourself thinking, "Where is the block party?" "What time was that concert? Was that Rhode Island Pride or Boston Pride?"
Never fear. In partnership with Edge Media Network and its sister company Pride Labs LLC, Pride committees across the country are developing apps to streamline and provide Pride-goers with all the info they need to have a fabulous time.
Mobile apps accompany everything these days. You can pay for your morning coffee with a few taps on your phone. Rental cars let drivers honk the horn and unlock the car with an app. With Uber, we no longer have to hail a cab. Health and wellness apps let us track fitness goals. Grindr and Scruff have changed the way we find, uh, love.
Pride Labs powers Android and Apple iOS applications specifically developed for LGBT Pride. Free apps exist for Pride celebrations in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Augusta, Boston, Central New York, DC, El Paso, Harlem, Hudson Valley, Indianapolis, Key West, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Miami, Montreal, New Hope, PA, New Orleans, North Jersey, New York City, Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Pride Northwest, South Florida, St. Louis, Rhode Island, Seattle, Silicon Valley, St. Pete, Tulsa, Utah, Vancouver, and Worcester. The most comprehensive app is the Global Pride Calendar, which includes data from the entire Pride app series, launched in collaboration with InterPride, the association of worldwide Prides. In short, Global Pride Calendar is the complete guide to annual LGBT Pride events around the world.
"These are the official apps for these celebrations," says David Foucher, CEO of Pride Labs and the EDGE Media Network. "Quite honestly, they're everything you need when you're headed to Pride. All the information about what's happening - and where - is right there on your mobile device."
The apps contain everything from newsfeeds, events, performer and DJ profiles, photos, weather, interactive maps, sponsors and event hotel information.
The news sections of the apps provide a feed of all press releases and announcements related to each LGBT Pride. For instance, if a singer is added to a lineup or if a Pride Day event is announced at a local sports stadium, it will pop up on the newsfeed. This is a great way to discover what's going on in your community.
The events sections are calendars. Users can scroll down for all Pride-related events in the city, and events listed include dates and times. This is useful as it breaks down busy Pride weekends into an easy-to-understand list that also includes photos, links, descriptions and directions.
Under the Maps sections of the app, you'll find an image of the parade routes and a map of the festivals happening around the city. In the Photos sections, official photos from each Pride event are uploaded. Users can also submit their own photos under an innovative area called "YouShoot." Many of the apps include weather and hotel information.
Users on Android devices can integrate Google Calendar and import dates and times of Pride events into their personal Google Calendar; Apple fans can do the same with their device's onboard calendars.
Boston resident Mario Chamorro has been attending Pride since 2010 and sees great value in the Boston Pride app: "The app can make planning the day easier; you can also see what's going on around town and find out about events you didn't know about." Using the app, Mr. Chamorro discovered Pride night at Fenway on June 12 and is looking forward to attending it for the first time this year.