On June 14, Legends of Drag returned for its third fabulous year, celebrating trailblazing queens who have shaped queer culture for decades. This year’s event also featured The Red Ribbon Revue, a dynamic showcase of HIV-positive performers, bringing together generations in a joyful, defiant celebration of identity, legacy, and resilience. Against a backdrop of renewed attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, the evening stood as a powerful testament to visibility during Pride Month.

The New York City AIDS Memorial and National AIDS Memorial presented a screening of Cashing Out followed a Q&A with director Matt Nadel moderated by filmmaker Sian-Pierre Regis. A festival favorite, Cashing Out explores the morally complex world of viatical settlements during the AIDS crisis, when thousands of queer people sold their life insurance policies to survive. Through intimate stories and a personal connection, the film examines dignity, survival, and the legacy of a forgotten economy.

On June 1, the New York City AIDS Memorial launched Kinfolk: Portals of Remembrance and The Gay Chorus: No Time at All with a public celebration. Visitors explored Kinfolk’s augmented reality artworks and gathered for a live performance by Egyptt LaBeija. The event also introduced The Gay Chorus, a sound installation by Matthew Leifheit featuring archival recordings of gay men’s choruses. Together, the projects opened Pride Month with a moving tribute to queer memory and resilience.

On May 4, the New York City AIDS Memorial presented choreographer Molissa Fenley’s Bardo, a dance work first conceived as an homage to artist Keith Haring that premiered at Haring’s memorial service 35 years ago to the day. Incorporating stillness and movement that evoke a space being repeatedly emptied and filled, Bardo is a reflection on the liminal space between death and birth. 

During these two days of artist-focused Community AIDS Memorial Quilt-Making Workshops at the School of Visual Arts, led by Daniele Frazier, with the National AIDS Memorial’s Gert McMullin in March 2025, we created new quilt panels for members of the creative community lost to AIDS, including Martin Wong, Tseng Kwong Chi, and Ching Ho Cheng.

Broadway Revisited was a benefit cabaret directed by Rob Ashford and hosted by Tony Goldwyn and featuring performances by Christine Ebersole, J. Harrison Ghee, Jason Robert Brown, Sophia Anne Caruso, Duncan Sheik, Debra Monk, Kevin William Paul, Sierra Boggess, Sean Donovan, Jimin Moon, DeMarius R. Copes, Ashley Day, Tyler Eisenreich, Solea Pfeiffer, Peter Cincotti, John Pizzarelli, Isabel Leonard, and Wes Oliver at Joe’s Pub.