After a multi-year, COVID-caused hiatus, Philly Dyke March returned in 2024 on the eve of the city’s Pride celebrations with a pared down version of the event. Attendees marched through the city — but the group didn’t host speakers, entertainment or an after party. This year, on May 31 beginning at Kahn Park, things are back to usual with a day of festivities that Tami Sortman, one of the organizers, said will feel more like it used to.
“We’re trying to bring it back in its original form,” Sortman said.
Philly Dyke March is a community-led, grassroots movement that focuses on activism and empowerment while centering marginalized LGBTQ+ people and experiences. It was established in 1998 and has historically been held on the eve of annual festivals, creating space for people who didn’t otherwise feel welcome or included in broader Pride celebrations.
“The Dyke March is a protest, not a parade,” underlined Sortman.
Sortman explained that the event was launched by a group of dykes who wanted to see more spaces and more leadership that directly reflected their own identities — which were and are much more diverse than the cis, white gay men who often become the most visible and most centered in Pride celebrations.
Gloria Casarez, one of Philly Dyke March’s founders, became the city’s first official director of LGBTQ+ affairs — a role she used to improve access to housing and health care, implement anti-discrimination protections in the workplace, and achieve various other accomplishments for the LGBTQ+ community. And she’s not the only notable participant in the march. AJ Hikes, who previously served in the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, is now a national voice with the ACLU. Sortman is a well-known advocate who is currently the president of the Washington West Civic Association, and Kathy Gomez is a top attorney with Community Legal Services. Rue Landau, who is also participating, is Philadelphia’s first openly LGBTQ+ city councilmember.
“The list goes on and on and on that shows how these great people have taken on new, important roles — within their families or the government or in the community itself,” Sortman said.
Preserving and honoring that history is important to Sortman, who noted that archives related to the Philly Dyke March will be on display during a one-night fundraiser and exhibit at William Way LGBT Community Center on May 21. The group is also hosting a drag king showcase on May 30 and is bringing back the popular pageant this fall.
Despite the name, those who don’t identify as dykes and allies of the LGBTQ+ community who stand for the same values and mission are welcome to all of the group’s events — including the march itself. Philly Dyke March attempts to intentionally build an intersectional space, and historically participants have represented diverse communities and age ranges.
Sortman noted that the event offers a place for people to raise their voices as a collective body, since dykes and LGBTQ+ women have often been less amplified than others in the queer community. She’s especially concerned about the rights of LGBTQ+ parents and the experiences of oppression that trans and nonbinary people are facing in this political climate — but she also underlined that those who gather with the Philly Dyke March are similarly concerned about those affected by anti-abortion laws and anti-immigration efforts too.
“Dykes come from all over the world!” she said. “Being able to be seen and heard right now in regards to immigration is so important. Everyone is really retreating because they’re so afraid.”
Sortman said it feels like the United States has reverted back to 30 or 40 years ago. This year’s organizers hope to underline the importance of collective action in the fight against discrimination, violence and erasure.
Participants are invited to bring signs, drums and their loudest voices to Kahn Park on May 31 at 11 a.m.. That’s where speakers — including some of the Philly Dyke March’s founders and other significant local leaders, poets, musicians and a DJ — will take the stage before taking to the streets at noon. Community resources will also be featured as part of the space.
Sortman explained that this year’s march expects to welcome the largest contingency of “dykes on bikes” to lead the protest by motorcycle through the Gayborhood. The route ends on Camac St. for a block party around 3 p.m.
“It’s a time to uplift each other,” Sortman noted, emphasizing that the Philly Dyke March has always been a place of camaraderie. “It’s an opening up and it’s a rejoicing, and it’s also showing my solidarity to my people and to my group and to my tribe.”
The Philly Dyke March will begin at 11 a.m. on May 31 with a rally at Kahn Park, 11th and Pine Streets.To learn more about the group and other upcoming events, visit phillydykemarch.com.