When worlds collide…
Wednesday, Jun. 11 — Pride Month and the FIFA World Cup are bringing a dizzying array of events to Georgia and, particularly, Atlanta. Pride festivals are plentiful this weekend and World Cup matches begin at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday. Scroll down for our Pride Guide and to see how All Stripes and Pride House are welcoming LGBTQ+ soccer fans to the city.
But first, a few headlines:
🤬 The Athens PrideFest Parade on Saturday was briefly interrupted by neo-Nazis carrying swastika flags and shouting antisemitic slogans.
📉 As the right-wingers continue to fearmonger, a new Gallup poll found that LGBTQ+ support among Americans is dropping, including support for marriage equality.
📣 GLAAD released results from a poll showing overwhelming support for politicians to end their attacks on transgender people and focus on the rising cost of living.
🩺 A second hospital caved to the Trump administration as the Cleveland Clinic pledged $2 million to fund “detransition” services and agreed not to provide gender-affirming care for minors.
⚖️ A federal judge once again stopped the Trump administration from transferring transgender women in federal custody to men’s prisons over safety issues.
💵 The recent Open Hand Atlanta Charity Golf Classic raised more than $329,000 to help expand access to medically tailored meals for those living with chronic and serious illness.
🎭 Qween Jean became the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.”
This is how we start the party…
Collin
🖼️ Ahlers & Ogletree presents a 600-lot Modern & Contemporary Art & Design Auction featuring Picasso, Dalí, Chagall, and more. Explore fine art, furniture, and sculpture. Preview June 15–16; reception June 16. Register and start bidding today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Pride events galore this weekend
🌈 It’s a big Pride weekend with festivals and events taking place across the state, including Colgay Pride, Smyrna Pride Festival, Gwinnett Pride, and the Carrollton Rainbow Pride Month Picnic & Community Concert.
If you’re in Atlanta, the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus is performing a tribute to Elton John, the Atlanta Pride Committee is hosting a Pride Month party, and Prideteenth is being held at Westside Motor Lounge.
➡ Get details on all these events and see more in our Pride Guide.
Dinosaur Summer. It’s here.
SPONSORED BY THE FERNBANK MUSEUM
🦖 They ruled the Earth for millions of years. This summer, they rule Atlanta.
Always a favorite dinosaur destination, Fernbank has even more ways to satisfy your inner paleontologist with exhibits, cinema, programs and more this summer! Come face-to-jaws with the Tyrannosaurus rex in the new exhibit, T. rex: The Ultimate Predator. Learn about the iconic dinosaur through life-sized models, specimens, and interactives.
Also, Museum Nights gets a Jurassic twist during LATER: Rex Factor. It’s casual, curious, and the best way to kick off the weekend to connect, discover, and unwind in a come-and-go atmosphere for all ages, with a grownup vibe.
➞ Experience it all this summer at Fernbank.
All Stripes and Pride House ensure LGBTQ+ safety during World Cup
⚽ Atlanta United support group All Stripes has partnered with Pride House International to welcome LGBTQ+ visitors and locals alike to the city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
“Having this international tournament right here at home is an incredible milestone for Atlanta,” Melanie Koerting, the president of All Stripes, told Georgia Voice, “and we are ready to show visiting fans that same supportive, rowdy experience they’d find at any of our local matches.”
For soccer fans without tickets to the matches, All Stripes and Pride House will host events and watch parties in partnership with Decatur WatchFest, The Works, and Lore. A full calendar of events can be found at pridehouseunited2026.com/atlanta.
➡ Find out more about Pride House here.
DESTINATION GAY ATLANTA
📍 If you’re hosting visitors for the World Cup, Pride or just a summer vacation, be sure to share the Destination Gay Atlanta guidebook created by Georgia Voice and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Ginger Minj and Jujubee bringing ‘Wicked’ parody to Atlanta
👠 Get ready to defy gravity – and heteronormativity – as “Drag Race” stars Ginger Minj and Jujubee bring their “Wicked” drag parody show to Atlanta’s Out Front Theatre later this month.
“Licked: For Gay“ turns the Emerald City into a sapphic fever dream set inside the OzDust Barroom, where facts are never black and white, but the drama is pure Technicolor.
Ginger stars as a sexually confused, brand-obsessed Glinda, and Jujubee brings Elphaba to life as a broom-riding butch. Local drag queen Tugboat rounds out the cast as the swishy and dishy bartender with a secret past.
➡ Find out more about the show and get tickets.
Best Bets
🥐 MAAP is hosting the Pride Brunch Block Party from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at El Vinedo Local in Midtown Atlanta with special menu items, cocktails and drag.
🍻 The annual Rainbow Pub Crawl is happening in Midtown Atlanta on June 13 starting at My Sister’s Room and includes nine other venues.
🥾 Macon Pride is hosting Pride In Your Park with Southern Queer Folks for Hikes at the Ocmulgee Mound National Park on June 13 at 8:30 a.m.
💕 Queer Craft Night is hosting a special Pride Month Speed Dating & Mixer event on June 14 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Java Lords in Little Five Points.
📺 If you’d rather stay in and watch TV, check out the acclaimed BBC series “What It Feels Like for a Girl,” set in the early-00s club scene, which is now streaming on Prime Video.
➡ Find many more events and activities in our IG stories @thegeorgiavoice.
