• by Danielle Oster , June 14, 2024

BLK Dating App, which describes itself as “the world's largest dating and lifestyle app for the Black community” is celebrating Pride with a campaign highlighting party professionals for its 2024 Pride campaign.

Entitled  “It's Giving Space: Celebrating Queer Event Curators,” the campaign kicked off on June 13 and will include a digital content series, social media activations, and real-world events.

In addition to celebrating the work of event curators, the series also aims to document the cultural challenges they face -- and which contribute to Black queer spaces being underrepresented. BLK is taking a strategic approach by releasing the long-form content in digestible installments throughout the month of June.

The content series at the heart focuses on three LGBTQ+ party collectives: Chicago’s Party Noire in Chicago, Brooklyn-based Global Warming, and Lesbians in Houston.

BLK will also support each group by sponsoring their Pride events, premiering their video from the “It’s Giving Space” content series.

An initial “BLK x Global Warming” video takes a look at the Global Warming collective -- which, as one of its founders explains, gets its name for the desired impact of heating up the dance floor. The longer documentary series will focus on the collective’s “resilience and innovation in reviving Brooklyn’s queer nightlife,” according to a press release.

Subsequent installments will highlight Party Noir in Chicago, focusing on how the group challenges Chicago’s perception as an overlooked Pride city. Another video, profiling Lesbians in Houston, will focus on how the group navigates the challenges of organizing Black queer events and providing community connection in a conservative state.

"At BLK, we are dedicated to uncovering and celebrating the untold stories within the Black LGBTQ+ community.” Jonathan Kirkland, BLK head of brand and marketing, said in a statement. “With ‘It’s Giving Space,’ we aim to shed light on the rich subcultures and vibrant narratives that often go unnoticed. These community leaders are pivotal in shaping our cultural landscape, and their stories of resilience and creativity deserve to be heard.”