A New LGBTQ+ Group is Bringing Pride to the South Hills

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA ROMANO/BROOKLINE PRIDE

Quite a few of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods host their own festive jubilees for Pride Month, celebrating the city’s LGBTQ+ communities while also supporting local businesses, artists and performers. 

Now, plans are in the works for one more neighborhood to join in the fun.

Brookline Pride, one of Pittsburgh’s newest LGBTQ+ organizations based in the South Hills, will host a series of Pride-centered events throughout June, as well as its first major celebration later this year, on Sept. 12. 

“Neighborhood-level celebrations like this tend to do something that larger citywide events can’t always accomplish; they bring visibility and acceptance to the places where people actually live their daily lives,” says Alicia Romano, Brookline Pride’s lead organizer. “Our hope is to build a community in Brookline where people aren’t afraid to hang a flag in front of their house or where a business isn’t afraid to put a sign in their window — a community where a same-sex couple can walk down the street holding hands and not be fearful of ridicule, community where transgender individuals aren’t afraid to walk to the bank or grab a bite to eat.” 

Romano, who grew up in the South Hills and currently lives in Brookline, adds that for the most part, the area is fairly accepting of queer folks; both Dormont Pride and Lebo Pride in Mt. Lebanon have been hosting pride-related events for years, paving the way for a more inclusive South Hills. Nevertheless, Romano finds that the South Hills is still behind other parts of the city in terms of public LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation — but it’s on a good trajectory.

“I think there’s room for improvement in Brookline, and I’m heartened by the number of people who have come out of the woodwork in support,” she says. “It gives me a lot of hope.”

As an organization, Brookline Pride began in the fall of 2025, when Romano posed a question to an online group: Has Brookline ever celebrated Pride before? 

“Inclusion and visibility are important to me, so I had some interest in organizing a Pride group if one never existed,” she says. “A few neighbors had shared that there were a few events in the past, but nothing that took off, so we got together and started talking about what Pride could look like in Brookline.”

What started as a conversation about hosting a potluck in the park quickly developed into something much bigger.

“I think that’s a testament to the love and support Brookline has for our LGBTQIA+ neighbors, families, and businesses,” Romano says.

This month, the organization will host a series of events and programming in support of Brookline’s queer community: 

• Pride Month Deconstructed, a free online educational event with author and journalist Jason Van Ness, will take place on June 2.
• Embodied Synergy Holistic Healing, a wellness event for our LGBTQIA+ neighbors and allies, the proceeds from which will benefit Brookline Pride, takes place on June 14. 
• Red’s Good News will host Brookline Pride Happy Hour on June 16.
• Queer crafting at Steel City Craft Emporium will be held June 20 as part of Brookline Pride DIY Day.
• Antonio’s Comedy Showcase: Pride Edition, with Comedian Cassi Bruni & Friends, will be held June 27 at Antonio’s Pizza.

Additionally, Brookline Pride will host its first major celebration on Sept. 12. 

“Not only did we need more time to plan in order to organize something truly impactful, we also didn’t have the following to compete with other community Prides,” Romano says. “We wanted to create something that everyone could attend, not only Brookline residents, to see everything Brookline has to offer.” 

There are also quite a few LGBTQ+ observances in September, including Bisexual Health Awareness Month, Bisexual Awareness Week, Bi Visibility Day and National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. 

“This is all leading up to National Coming out Day, which happens on Oct. 11, and we plan to have a meaningful Coming Out pop up on Sept. 12 in preparation for that,” she says. “So September seemed perfect.”

In the meantime, Romano says it’s vital to celebrate queer folks all year, not just during Pride Month. It’s something that is at the core of Brookline Pride’s mission and identity.

“My vision for Brookline Pride was never meant to be just one day a year. Our commitment is to build programming and community throughout all 365 days because visibility and belonging can’t be confined to a single weekend,” she says. “We’ll keep going until the extraordinary becomes ordinary, until inclusion isn’t something we celebrate because it’s simply just the way things are.”