Pride Prom brings dance party, fashion promenade to The Westmoreland

Pride Prom at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is an opportunity for “people to come and be themselves and be comfortable doing so,” said events manager Hannah Vincent.

An annual event since 2019, Pride Prom is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday in the facility at 221 N. Main St., Greensburg.

“It’s so important that an institution like ours is inviting the community in, and specifically a community that has been targeted,” she said.

Pittsburgh drag performers Alora Chateaux and Phoenix Fatale will host the event, which will feature a dance party with DJs Planet Lush and a prize for the guest with the best dance moves.

Attendees are invited to come dressed for the Prom-enade of fashions, with prizes to be awarded for best prom and best Pride attire.

“Last year was the first full Prom-enade, and it was so much fun,” Chateaux said. “I think more people will be even more excited this time to show their looks.

“It’s awesome to see both how people interpret their looks and how they sell their looks to the audience.”

A Pride Artist Spotlight in the galleries will have information on queer artists whose work is included in the museum collection, along with cardboard cutouts of Freddie Mercury, Elizabeth Taylor and Bob the Drag Queen, the Season 8 winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

The event also will feature a cash bar with Pride-themed specialty cocktails, the Mi Empanada and Steel City Whip food trucks and information on community resources.

Pride Prom is hosted in partnership PFLAG Greensburg and the Westmoreland LGBTQ Interfaith Network. Admission is free.

Different energy

“It used to be that the only places people could go to celebrate Pride were in Pittsburgh,” said Jean Slusser, president of the PFLAG group. “Local communities having their own Pride events makes it nicer for people in the LGBTQ community, plus the young people, who wouldn’t want to go to events in Pittsburgh or lack transportation or the funds to go.”

“In the smaller communities, there’s a different energy because the people are just so excited to have their representation showcased,” Chateaux said.

The event is an opportunity for people outside the LGBTQ community to learn more about it, Slusser said.

“There might be people who are not particularly LGBTQ+ positive, who would at least consider attending an event at the museum, because they’ve gone to other things there,” she said. “It draws a wider audience than maybe some other places do.”

The museum’s involvement lends it a certain gravitas, said Jim Galik, president of the Interfaith Network.

“Because The Westmoreland is such a prominent cultural institution, it affirms and promotes the dignity of the LGBTQ community, and that we’re all part of the larger community,” he said.

Chateaux is grateful for the positive message the event is meant to convey.

“These events help to fortify, in all communities, that being different or unique or special in any capacity should be celebrated and not shunned or diminished,” she said. “Nowadays the quote-unquote norm is becoming more and more blurred and uniqueness can be showcased.

“If people were more into their own uniqueness and what makes them happy, the world would be a better place.”

Although the event is free, registration is strongly encouraged at 888-718-4253 or thewestmoreland.org. Pride or prom attire is not required.