The Radical Joy of Queer Youth
From Prom Night to Center Stage
photo credits: Palash Jain on Unsplash
We Are All Kings & Queens
Pride isn’t just about honoring the past—it’s about championing the future. And queer youth are not waiting their turn. They're shaping the movement now.
While much attention is (rightfully) paid to the trailblazers of queer history, we often overlook a vital truth: the future of queer liberation lives in our youth. According to GLADD, “Gen Z is the most LGBTQ generation yet. About 21% of Gen Z adults (those ages 18-24) identify as LGBTQ, according to 2021 Gallup polling data.”
Uplifting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth isn’t just about visibility—it’s about survival, growth, and community rebirth. It’s about ensuring there’s space to be: loud, soft, angry, experimental, uncertain, and radically joyful.
Queer youth are not the leaders of tomorrow. They’re leaders of right now.
Pride Proms: Reclaiming Rites of Passage
Prom—short for promenade—originated in the mid-20th century as a kind of social debut, marking a young person’s transition into adulthood and independence. It was meant to celebrate personal growth and new beginnings.
But for many queer and trans teens, traditional proms can feel exclusionary, unsafe, or just not built with them in mind.
That’s where Pride Youth Prom comes in— a reimagined classic rite of passage that’s inclusive and affirming, where LGBTQ+ youth can show up fully as themselves.
But when did Pride Prom become part of queer community tradition? And how did it evolve to become a staple of Pride celebrations, specifically in North America?
The emergence of the AIDS crisis in the early 1980s, alongside growing calls for civil rights, legal protections, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community, revealed a deep need—not just for collective advocacy, but for queer joy, too. The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth (BAGLY) organization understood the need, and certainly answered the call, when they held the nation’s first prom for LGBT+ youth— an honored tradition that continues today, and has inspired countless organizations to follow in their steps.
So, Why Does This Still Matter?
Because the world keeps trying to shrink queer youth. To box them in, legislate them out, erase their histories and futures.
But the queer youth of today aren’t going anywhere.
They’re not becoming something—they already are. And they deserve to be celebrated, supported, and seen.
Who’s Carrying It Forward?
Today, Pride proms exist in dozens of cities across North America, from cultural capitals to rural towns.
Investing in queer youth = investing in the future of the movement.
In an age of rising anti-trans and anti-queer sentiment, these spaces are more crucial than ever.
Let’s keep the dance floor open.
Here are just a few of the standout Pride proms helping keep that spirit alive:
Major U.S. City Youth Pride Proms
Los Angeles LGBT Center – Los Angeles, CA
Event: Youth Pride Dance
Date: June 8, 2025
Details: A free event for LGBTQ+ youth and allies, featuring music, dancing, and community celebration.
Link: Youth Pride Dance
San Francisco LGBT Center – San Francisco, CAQueer Connections YQR Inc. – Regina, SK
Event: Queer Prom: Enchanted Garden
Date: May 17, 2025
Details: An enchanting evening with drag performances, mocktails, dancing, and more for ages 16–24.
Link: Queer Prom: Enchanted Garden
Zebra Youth – Orlando, FL
Event: Rainbow Road to Pride Prom
Date: Friday, June 27, 2025
Location: The Plaza Live, 425 N. Bumby Ave, Orlando, FL
Details: This year's theme is "Masquerade." The event is divided into two sessions: 6:00–8:00 PM for ages 13–17, and 9:00–11:00 PM for ages 18–24. All forms of gender expression are welcomed. The event is free, with a suggested donation of $15 to support Zebra Youth's programs.
Link: Rainbow Road to Pride Prom
Major Canadian City Youth Pride Proms
SOY Pride Prom @ Buddies in Bad Times Theatre – Toronto, ON
Event: Pride Prom 2025
Date: June 6, 2025
Details: An inclusive prom night for LGBTQ+ youth, featuring music, dancing, and a safe space to celebrate identity and community.
Link: Eventbrite – Queer Connections YQR Pride Prom 2025
Truro Program Centre – Truro, NS
Event: Queer Youth Prom
Date: June 20, 2025
Details: The second annual Queer Youth Prom for ages 12–18, offering a night of fun, inclusivity, and celebration for young members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Link: Truro Program Centre Facebook Post
Regional U.S. Pride Proms
Spy Hop – Salt Lake City, UT
Event: Queer Prom
Date: May 9, 2025
Details: A free rooftop event with music, crafts, dancing, and more for LGBTQ+ and allied youth aged 14–19.
Link: Spy Hop Queer Prom
Youth OUTright – Asheville, NC
Event: Queer Youth Prom: Masquerade Ball
Date: May 24, 2025
Details: The 14th annual prom, providing a space for unconditional queer and trans youth joy.
Link: Youth OUTright
The Health Collective – Hartford, CT
Event: Queer Prom
Date: June 27, 2025
Details: The 31st annual prom themed "Enchanted Forest" for high school juniors and seniors.
Link: The Health Collective Queer Prom
Yakima Pride – Yakima, WA
Event: Rainbow Prom
Date: May 26, 2024
Details: Open to LGBTQ+ youth, friends, and allies aged 14–20. The event includes a drag show, lip-sync battle, appetizers, mocktails, a 360° photo booth, and dancing with DJ Danny J. Tickets are $20, with proceeds supporting Yakima Pride's youth programming.
Link: Rainbow Prom – Yakima Pride
Inside Out Youth Services – Colorado Springs, CO
Event: Youth Pride and Queer Prom 2025
Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025
Details: A sober, semi-formal, chaperoned dance party for LGBTQIA2+ young people and allies, ages 13–24. Themed "Pink Pony Disco," the event features music, dancing, and community celebration. Tickets are $10 per person, with financial assistance available upon request.
Link: Youth Pride and Queer Prom 2025
Regional Canadian Youth Pride Proms
Elgin County Pride – St. Thomas, ON
Event: Queer Prom 2025
Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
Details: Hosted by Elgin County Pride, this event invites LGBTQ+ youth and allies to celebrate in a safe and inclusive environment.
Link: Queer Prom 2025 – Elgin County Pride
Pride Niagara – St. Catharines, ON
Event: (Late May- Early June) Pride Niagara’s Annual Pride Prom
Date: Date to be announced (typically held during Pride Month in June)
Details: An all-ages, free event offering 2SLGBTQ+ youth a chance to celebrate with Pride. The evening includes dancing, performances, the election of nonbinary prom royalty, professional prom-style photos, and prizes.
Link: Pride Niagara Events
9th Annual Queer Prom: Under the Sea – Beaconsfield, QC
Host: West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre
Date: Friday, May 16, 2025 (4:00 PM–8:00 PM)
Details: Dress up for an underwater adventure, enjoy music, dancing, and a costume contest—all proceeds support the Centre’s youth programs.
Link: The 9th Annual West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre’s Queer Prom: Under the Sea
3rd Annual Pride Prom Grand Falls - Windsor, NL
Host: Pflag Grand Falls-Windsor
Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025 (8:00 PM–10:00 PM)
Details: It is almost that time of year again… Pflag GFW, Trans Youth NL and Pride Grand Falls-Windsor are excited to invite you to attend our 3rd Annual Pride Prom for students in grades 7-12. As always, there will be music, food and prizes! Registration is required for this event!
Link: 3rd Annual Pride Prom
A Glitz N’ Glam Galaxy Ball – Winnipeg, MB
Host: Rainbow Resource Centre
Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025 (7:00 PM–10:00 PM)
Details: A vibrant youth dance with live DJs and drag performances—free for ages 14–21.
Link: Glitz N' Glam Galaxy Ball
Photo by Delia Giandeini on Unsplash
Queer Gen Z Goes Online
“The power of the internet has given LGBTQ youth the means to fully explore and embrace their sexual orientations and/or gender identities.”GLADD
Photo by Aiden Craver on Unsplash
Digital Queer Trailblazers
The power of the internet has given LGBTQ youth the means to fully explore and embrace their sexual orientations and/or gender identities.” – GLADD
In 1994, EAGLES Academy, a Los Angeles high school for LGBTQ students, hosted the first officially recognized LGBTQ+ youth prom, called “Live to Tell,” held at the LA Hilton. That night marked a turning point: queer youth weren’t just allowed to celebrate. They were being celebrated.
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~ XO, SuperQueer
