Queer Things to Do: Join the Roller Skating Trend, Volunteer Your Heart Out, Enjoy Late Summer Pride Fest
With pumpkin spice (aka “basic bitch”) season just over the horizon, it’s time to cram in as much summer fun as you can manage. Keep it chill with a live stage performance, dive into something old that’s new again or answer the call to serve your community as a volunteer. Whatever you choose to do, don’t let summer slip away without a fight.
1. Roller Skate Your Way Into an Old School Groove
In case you missed the news, roller skating is back. We’re not saying you have to feather your hair Farrah Fawcett-style or source an old-school boombox, but it couldn’t hurt. Local artist Mieyoshi Ragernoir talked about her love for roller skating in a Pride Source interview in June. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said. “I didn’t realize how fun — it’s like you’re dancing on air, gliding. I love it.”
Join a group like Queers on Wheels or check out open skates and special events at rinks like Northland, RollerCade (the nation’s oldest Black-owned rink), Detroit Roller Wheel, Roller Skate Detroit or Royal Skateland.
2. Watch a Hot LGBTQ+ Movie on a Hot Summer Night
Why not make a hot summer night even hotter? Close the curtain and stream a passion-driven or just plain ol' dirty LGBTQ+ movie with a sexy companion or just treat yourself to a night in.
Here are a few ideas:
- “Below Her Mouth” (2017, NC-17): an erotic drama featuring a very passionate lesbian sex scene
- “Fire Island” (2022, Unrated): Bowen Yang from “SNL” stars in this fun (and sometimes sexually adventurous) queer-focused Hulu rom-com
- “Pink Flamingos” (1972, NC-17): A classic for all the right (and wrong) reasons, you won’t be the same after streaming this John Waters comedy, which is punctuated by lots and lots of (very explicit) queer sex and... other sexual things
3. Road Trip to Jackson or Allegan Pride Fests
Don’t miss two late-in-the-season Pride fests happening in Jackson and Allegan on Aug. 20. Jackson Pride will take place in downtown Jackson. Following a parade down West Michigan Avenue, head to Horace Blackman Park for food booths, family-friendly activities and live music by Jackson-based folk singer/songwriter Chey Haliwil, The Rolling Hills, a folk-indie duo from Charlotte that features a viola, and BIG L & Code Blü, a South-Central Michigan-based group that plays R&B, funk and rock.
Also on Aug. 20, Allegan, Michigan will hold its first Pride event at Riverside Plaza in downtown Allegan. This family-friendly event will feature a drag queen story time, educational and motivational speakers, a drag performance, music, food and more.More info at facebook.com/jxnmipride and facebook.com/alleganspeakup.
4. Find a Volunteer Gig That Fits You
Browse thousands of local and national calls for volunteers at VolunteerMatch.org. You’ll find a mix of boots-on-the-ground, active roles like helping at a 5K, things you can do from home and lots of LGBTQ-focused opportunities. Join up with like-minded people or venture out on your own. You can filter opportunities by time commitment, location, cause and skillset, so you’re sure to land on a rewarding way to dedicate some of your valuable free time.
Local LGBTQ+ organizations like Affirmations (goaffirmations.org/volunteer), the Ruth Ellis Center (ruthelliscenter.org/volunteer) and LGBT Detroit (lgbtdetroit.org/volunteer) are always looking for volunteers, as well.
5. Catch One Last Summer Show at the Ringwald
“Plot Points in Our Sexual Development” by Miranda Rose Hall will close out the summer season at the Ringwald Theatre at Affirmations in Ferndale. Billed as a “contemporary queer love story,” the play focuses on Theo, a self-described “genderqueer trans person who is not a woman and is not a man,” and Cecily, a cisgender lesbian. The pair want to be honest about their sexual histories, but must wrestle with what that will mean for their relationship.
“Plot Points in Our Sexual Development” runs Aug. 26-Sept. 12. Visit theringwald.com for ticket information.
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