Milwaukee on Tuesday became the first
city in the United States to cancel a 2021 LGBT Pride event in
response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Milwaukee's annual PrideFest, scheduled
for June 3-6 at Milwaukee's Summerfest Grounds (also known as the
Henry Maier Festival Park), will not take place, event organizers
said.
“After much consideration, we cannot
move forward with planning a June 2021 festival without knowing how
and when a vaccine will be distributed throughout our community
equally,” said
Wes Shaver, president of Milwaukee Pride, Inc. “It is still
unclear as to how (or if) public gatherings will happen in 2021 and
we cannot risk the health and wellbeing of our community by putting
the festival ahead of the people it serves.”
The pandemic claimed last year's Pride
season, with virtually all in-person parades and festivals canceled.
The Milwaukee Pride Board of Directors
said that it remained hopeful the event could take place later in the
year, perhaps in a different format or at an alternate site.
“We don't want people to think there
will be no Pride this year,” said Luke Olson, a VP at Milwaukee
Pride, Inc. “We simply want to ensure we're taking the right steps
forward.”