Airbnb and Advocates for Youth partner for a Special WorldPride Live Filming of Kikis with Louie

RSVP: https://kikiswithlouie.splashthat.com

The episode of the new YouTube Series for LGBTQ+ Youth is titled “DRAG ACROSS GENERATIONS” and will feature drag kid Desmond Is Amazing, contemporary drag queen Shangela, and drag elder Ruby Rims

NEW YORK – This Pride month, Advocates for Youth and Airbnb are celebrating WorldPride with a live taping of Kikis with Louie on Saturday, June 29th at Airbnb’s WorldPride Popup (94 Gansevoort). In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, Advocates for Youth’s Director of LGBTQ+ Health and Rights and Kikis with Louie host, Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, will be joined by trailblazing drag kid, Desmond Is Amazing, contemporary drag queen Shangela and elder queen who made history at Stonewall in 1969, Ruby Rims, to talk about the importance of empowering young people to thrive, no matter how they choose to express themselves.

These diverse drag queens, spanning generations, helped give us the Pride we celebrate today – with queens like Ruby Rims paving the way decades ago for contemporary queens like Shangela to bring drag to the mainstream and empower younger generations like Desmond’s to express themselves freely.

“For this historic Pride, we want to bring together members of our diverse community through intergenerational conversations — and this event with Advocates for Youth and Kikis with Louie truly encapsulates that vision,” said Josh Meltzer, Head of Northeast Policy for Airbnb. “It’s by talking about the key issues facing LGBTQ+ youth today that we can empower the next generation, and this is vital as we reflect on our history and unite for our future. We are so proud to host this special discussion during WorldPride.”

Kikis with Louie launched in November 2018 with a vision to create a space for accessible and inclusive conversations for LGBTQ+ young people around sexual health, resilience, relationships, and more. With nearly 600,000 views and a cable distribution agreement with Washington D.C., the series has featured an intimate conversation with POSE star MJ Rodriguez, published a how-to video on surviving police encounters, and profiled LGBTQ youth activists across the country.

Now, Kikis with Louie is joining Airbnb on their mission to create a world where everyone can belong. As with all episodes of Kikis with Louie, the conversation will feature steps viewers can take to support LGBTQ+ youth.

“Too many LGBTQ+ young people, especially youth of color, are left in the dark when they ask questions about sex, relationships, and growing up,” said Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, host of Kikis with Louie. “That’s why it’s so important we meet young people where they are and on their own terms with inclusive, factual, and honest conversations.”

The episode will be recorded in front of a special audience and released in July as part of the first season of Kikis with Louie, which concludes this September.

“We’re thrilled that Airbnb is giving us a platform to recognize the power of drag and the joy that ensues when young people are able to thrive as their full selves.” said Lincoln Mondy, Advocates for Youth’s Senior Manager of Strategic Projects and the Director of Kikis with Louie. “As the end of Pride month approaches, this special Kikis with Louie episode will underscore how people can center, support, and resource LGBTQ+ young people everyday, not just in June.”

Who: Louie Ortiz-Fonseca in conversation with Ruby Rims, Shangela, and Desmond is Amazing

What: Limited-edition live taping of Advocates for Youth’s new YouTube series, Kikis With Louie at Airbnb’s WorldPride popup.

When: June 29 @ 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

Where: 94 Gansevoort St. New York, NY

 

About Kikis with Louie

A collaboration between Advocates For Youth and MAC Aids Fund, Kikis with Louie hosts honest, authentic, and energizing conversations about what matters most to LGBTQ youth. Traveling through 5 cities across the country, Louie sits down with young LGBTQ people, celebrities and activists for an inside look at their activism and experiences.

 

About Advocates for Youth

Advocates for Youth partners with youth leaders, adult allies, and youth-serving organizations to advocate for policies and champion programs that recognize young people’s rights to honest sexual health information; accessible, confidential, and affordable sexual health services; and the resources and opportunities necessary to create sexual health equity for all youth.

 

About Airbnb

Founded in 2008, Airbnb exists to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable. Airbnb uniquely leverages technology to economically empower millions of people around the world to unlock and monetize their spaces, passions and talents to become hospitality entrepreneurs. Airbnb’s accommodation marketplace provides access to 6+ million unique places to stay in nearly 100,000 cities and 191 countries. With Experiences, Airbnb offers unprecedented access to local communities and interests through 30,000+ unique, handcrafted activities run by hosts across 1,000+ markets around the world. Airbnb’s people-to-people platform benefits all its stakeholders, including hosts, guests, employees and the communities in which it operates.

 

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