Happy Pride month! Pride is a time for coming together and celebrating how far LGBTQIA+ rights have come while also shining a light on the work that is still needed to be done. In celebration of Pride month, we partnered with Switch n’ Play, an award-winning Brooklyn drag and burlesque collective. Spanning the gender spectrum in life and on stage, these artists are true icons of inspiration to Express Yourself to the fullest.
Want to know how you can celebrate this month in meaningful, impactful (and fun) ways?
- Education – learning the history of Pride, whether that’s reading, watching documentaries, TV shows and more
- Volunteer at or donate to LGBTQIA+ organizations (or do both!) Example: All Out –a global not-for-profit organization that is focused on political advocacy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/-sexual, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/aromantic and all others in LGBTQIA+ communities. We are making a 5k donation to All Out and encourage you to find out more about their amazing work here.
- Decorate your home with pride décor (a flag, or decal on your window, for example)
- Attend a pride parade
- Express yourself
- Wear the rainbow–we want to help you express yourself in any and every way you want. Shop All Pride Styles
We are excited to share that 100% of net proceeds* from our SUPIMA® Cotton Playful Pride Thong are going to The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP) (*up to $5,000). QDEP was created in January 2014 in New York City and is sponsored by the Center for Transformative Action (CTA). QDEP assists LGBTQIA+ coming out of immigration detention and those crossing the Mexico/US border. They connect their members to legal services, medical and mental health support, public benefits, housing, clothing and food as well as to community support and to the abolitionist movement.
Learn more and find out how you can help here.
Last month, we had the pleasure of meeting Switch n’ Play, a Brooklyn-based drag burlesque group—and it was iconic. Find out some of their morning routines, guilty pleasures (from dog licks to Sylvester Stallone), and what pride means to them.
And if you’re a New Yorker or visiting, we highly recommend checking out a show—see dates here!
Zoe Ziegfield
What is your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is letting dogs lick my face, I know it is kind of gross but it feels right in my heart.
What is your favorite song that turns around your mood and uplifts you?
Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill
Divina Gransparkle
What comes to mind when you hear the word “pride?”
Journeys, looking at the experiences that I had that got me here, thinking about the experiences that will get me to the future and how all of those things come together.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I don’t really know what guilt is but I do have a long list of pleasures. If I had to have a guilt, I suppose it is Sylvester Stallone.
Who would you love to gift a Hanky Panky rainbow thong?
Sylvester Stallone!
Miss Malice
What is your morning routine?
My morning routine is snoozing my alarm several times and finally getting up to get an iced oat milk latte because I’m gay and walking my little gremlin dog who is my favorite creature in the world!
Who would you love to gift a Hanky Panky Pride Thong to?
Mary Shelley—the author of Frankenstein
Zenobia
What is your morning routine?
First thing when I get up I gotta have some water and I write a list for the day and that list always starts with yoga and breakfast, that way if I don’t get anything else done, at least I’ve taken care of myself as far as doing a little bit of yoga and eating some breakfast.
What advice would you give to your ten-year-old self?
The advice I’d give would be to trust your instincts and trust your intuition. When you are a child, there is so much dismissing that goes on because you, you know, kids are silly, but we know ourselves from a pretty young age and I think it is important especially for queer and trans kids to know that things they are gravitating towards and the ways in which we are choosing to express ourselves are valid and deserve to be listened to.
Nyx Nocturne
When do you feel most like your true self?
I feel most like my true self when I am amongst my community. There is something about not having to explain myself or educate people that feels really refreshing, and freeing, and wonderful—especially so when I can be on stage in front of my community showing queer joy and celebration and queer bodies to people who also need to see themselves represented in that space.
How do you celebrate Pride month?
I think for a lot of entertainers like me, pride month has definitely become more about work rather than celebration—and I think it’s definitely celebratory and we have a really great time, but this is a time when we get to put ourselves in spaces that don’t usually give us access and be well paid for it! So I would say that the celebration is being able to get that access and show ourselves on a much wider scale.