Pittsburgh Pride has been canceled. The Delta Foundation, the non-profit that organizes the event, said the coronavirus pandemic led to the “hiatus” and that the annual parade and festival will be postponed until 2021.
Christine Bryan with Delta said the decision was a difficult one.
"It's very important to the region and very important to our community and when we postponed in July, we thought it would buy us some time to hopefully see some movement to hold large-scale special events, but as fall is quickly approaching, we're seeing that that is not going to be a reality," Bryan said.
In a statement, Delta also announced that an internal review had been completed into the foundation’s finances. The investigation was launched after former board president Gary Van Horn resigned amid criminal charges against him. A criminal complaint filed by state police in 2019 accused Van Horn of impersonating a public servant and forgery.
Van Horn stepped down in January of this year, prompting then-interim board president Jim Sheppard to call for a review of its books. In question was Van Horn’s financial relationship with an LLC registered to his name, as well as unpaid bills to Allegheny County law enforcement for security during Pride 2018.
The Delta Foundation has been criticized for curating its annual Pride week celebrations to a narrow segment of affluent gay people, leaving out some of the transgender and non-binary people of color who historically stood up for equality. The group has also been criticized for not engaging with the community year-round, and including corporate sponsors whose practices don’t support LGBTQ rights.
Delta also announced leadership changes at the foundation. Board member and construction company CFO Marty Healey was named president. Healey, of Shadyside, works at his family’s business and ran for Pittsburgh City Council District 8 in 2018.
Bryan, who only responded to questions regarding the cancelation of this year's event, said Pittsburgh Pride 2021 is scheduled for July in Point State Park.
