pride prom
A SECOND CHANCE AT PROM FOR QUEER ADULTS 21+ AND ALLIES, FILLED WITH PRIDE, JOY, AND THE INCLUSIVITY WE ALL DREAMED OF
Why a Pride Prom?For many LGBTQIA+ adults, prom was never a celebration – it was a space where they felt unseen, excluded, or unsafe. Queerli’s Pride Prom is a chance to rewrite that story. It's an evening of affirmation, joy, and visibility for adults in this community who never got the prom they deserved.
This intergenerational celebration welcomes everyone, from 21-year-olds just beginning their journey, to elders in their 70s+ who never had the chance to dance freely as themselves. This prom isn’t about fitting into a box. It’s about showing up as your full self, with or without a date. Leave the heteronorms behind. And it’s not just for the LGBTQIA+ community! Allies are welcome and encouraged to attend and help create the supportive, inclusive environment we all need. There is nothing like this type of event in mid-to-eastern Suffolk County on Long Island. Revival of the CosmosThe Prom is cosmic themed – think celestial blues, purples, golds, and iridescent glow. We call it Revival of the Cosmos because the stars have aligned to give queer adults and allies the prom we always deserved.
Channel your inner god, goddess, or divine being – no cisheteronorms, no dates required... just you in your full glory. |
📅 Wednesday, June 18, 2025
📍 The Meadow Club, Port Jefferson, NY 🌈 Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Queer, Trans, Intersex, Ace, BIPOC + Ally Inclusive 👠 Drag entertainment by Ivy Stalls + CC the Doll ✨ Dance the night away to music by DJ SLAYJ 🌠 Mix and mingle across generations from 21 to 101+ 🏆 Honor the changemakers making our communities safer 💫 Semi-Formal Attire・Dress to Impress 🍽️ Hor D’oeuvres・Salad・4-Dish Dinner Buffet・Ice Cream Sundae Bar 🔮 Tarot Readings Available for Purchase with Proceeds to Benefit Queerli 👩🏼🎤 Cosmic Make-Up, Tinsel, Glitter Hair + Styling Services that Give Back 🍸 Top Shelf Open Bar・Raffle Prizes & More! 🎟️ Tickets $110+ includes entry, entertainment, buffet, open bar, and access to our inclusive celebration + Processing fees are around $3.20-$3.50 per ticket. Limited tickets available for community members in need - request a community ticket here. 
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FIERCE SPONSOR
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FIERCE SPONSOR
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FIERCE SPONSOR
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FIERCE SPONSOR
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Funds raised will not only support Queerli’s year-round work creating safer spaces through events and education.
It also supports our newest initiative to provide financial assistance to LGBTQIA+ community members in need facing socioeconomic barriers to gender affirming care, second-parent adoption, legal name changes, and relocation from unsupportive homes. |
Partner with QueerliSponsoring our Pride Prom is a meaningful way to stand with the LGBTQIA+ communities and show that your business believes in equity, love, and joy for all. 86% of non-LGBTQ people support LGBTQ+ rights with 77% that feel more positively towards businesses that publicly support and showcase LGBTQIA+ people in their advertising.
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Abby Gruppuso, Allyship Honoree
As a graduate of Wesleyan University, Abby credits her time there as the starting point for many adventures. Her studies in Chinese took her to Beijing for a semester and then to Taiwan for a year after graduation, where she taught English.
During her senior year, she ran a popup restaurant and discovered a passion for baking and hosting events. This eventually inspired her to launch a small baking venture under her mom-given alias, Pollyanna. Raised to love many things and to be unapologetically herself, she is a fan of mac and cheese and Elvis, believes Borat is a cinematic masterpiece, and enjoys crocheting, stand-up comedy, and karaoke. Life has unfolded in unexpected ways, but The Better Man Distilling Co has become the perfect place for her to channel her passions, diverse experiences, and eclectic skill set. As Head of Operations, Abby finds it thrilling to run a fun, dynamic, and ever-evolving business that contributes to Patchogue’s social scene, supports Long Island tourism, and strengthens New York’s agricultural community. |
Alessandra Abbrancati, Allyship Honoree
Allie is the Tasting Room Manager at The Better Man Distilling Co. in Patchogue, where she has been a dedicated team member since 2020. Over the years, she has collaborated with local businesses and organizations to foster a welcoming environment and deliver exceptional service. In addition to managing the tasting room, Allie also serves as the Private Event Coordinator, helping to host everything from baby showers to weddings.
Outside of her work at Better Man, Allie is passionate about giving back to her community. She began volunteering with the Rachel Quinn Children's Foundation and, in 2023, joined the board. The foundation focuses on supporting underprivileged students across Long Island by providing tools for success, most notably distributing over 1,500 supply-filled backpacks to multiple schools. With a love for wine, cocktails, and coffee, Allie brings creativity and enthusiasm to everything she does. When she’s not working or volunteering, she enjoys traveling, working out, and spending time with her friends and family. A graduate of Pace University with a strong interest in business, Allie dreams of one day opening her own coffee shop and cocktail bar. As the first American-Italian woman in her family to graduate from college, she takes great pride in her work ethic and drive. |
Annie Manildoo, Champion Honoree
Annie Manildoo has been dazzling audiences in drag since 2013, but she’s been performing out of drag for as long as she can remember. Known for her bold personality and theatrical chops, Annie has brought her unique blend of Broadway belting, campy classics, and humor to stages all across Long Island, Albany, Block Island, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and NYC, where she notably became the first drag queen to produce a show in Little Italy.
Beyond the stage, Annie is no stranger to advocacy. She organized a protest against a discriminatory Patchogue bar that made headlines and led to her being honored by the Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. Whether she’s singing live, emceeing a fundraiser, hosting drag bingo, twisting balloons, officiating weddings, or attempting to eat fire (yes, really), Annie commits with heart and hilarity in heels. Annie holds an A.S. in Theatre from Suffolk County Community College, a B.A. in Adolescent Education in English, and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University. She is also a graduate of the Bartending Academy of Farmingdale and an ordained minister, because why not? You can catch Annie every first Saturday of the month at her wildly popular open stage drag show Shoot Your Shot at Station Pub in Sayville at 8:30 PM. One thing’s for sure: whatever you need, Annie will deliver, if you’re paying. Annie time, Annie place, Annie way you want her! |
June Gervais, Trailblazer Honoree
June Gervais’s illustrated novel Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair (Penguin Books) is a queer coming-of-age story set on Long Island, about a young woman chasing her dream of becoming a tattoo artist in the male-dominated industry of the 1980s. It’s been called “original, immersive, and wholly alive” (Kirkus Reviews) and "a colorful coming-of-age story brimming with gorgeous prose and vibrant misfits" (bestselling author Margarita Montimore).
Jobs for Girls has been featured in The New York Times, Newsday, Shondaland’s Pride Month Reading List, Lambda Literary's “Most Anticipated LGBTQIA+ Literature”, and Autostraddle’s Rainbow Reading, among others. June’s poems, essays, and stories have appeared in magazines as diverse as Lit Hub, Writers Digest, North American Review, Them, Sojourners, RHINO, Cream City Review, Gulf Coast, Big Fiction, The Common, Cordella, and more. June is also a musician, artist, public speaker, and mother of two. She loves giving writing workshops, bookstore events, and most of all school visits, where she can be living proof that quirky queer kids do grow up to create flourishing lives of creativity, belonging, and joy. |