PBS SoCal and KCET Recognize National Pride Month in June With Programming Dedicated to Celebrating History of LGBTQ Movement and Spotlighting Cultural Icons

CONTACT
Chelsea Grosbeck
cgrosbeck@pmgsocal.org
747.201.5202

kcet.org/Pride | pbsocal.org/Pride

Select programming will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal | KCET get extended access through PBS Passport.

Los Angeles, Calif. – May 11, 2021 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations as well as the home for award-winning, original local content, have announced a month-long lineup of programming in celebration of Pride Month in June. This month’s lineup of programs highlights the LGBTQ community’s barrier-breaking trailblazers whose poignant stories of activism continue to inspire and represent critical touchstones in the history of the movement.

The curated lineup begins with new documentaries from AMERICAN MASTERS that include the all-new gender-defying “Ballerina Boys,” as well as never-before-seen interviews with revolutionary artist Keith Haring, the life and legacy of Grammy-winning composer Michael Tilson Thomas and feminist singer and activist Holly Near. Broadcast specials in the lineup also feature American rock icon Melissa Etheridge’s final performance of her national tour at Los Angeles’ historic Orpheum Theatre in MELISSA ETHERIDGE: THIS IS M.E. LIVE IN LA. Additional specials also bring historical context to events of injustices like A MURDER IN MONTROSE: THE PAUL BROUSSARD LEGACY and the rebroadcast of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Stonewall Uprising” recounting the pivotal event that marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

Select content slated to air during the next month is listed as follows (*schedule subject to change):

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Ballerina Boys” – Fri., Jun. 4 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Discover Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male company that for 45 years has offered audiences their passion for ballet classics mixed with exuberant comedy. With every step, they poke fun at their strictly gendered art form.

MELISSA ETHERIDGE: THIS IS M.E. LIVE IN LA – Sat., Jun. 12 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., Jun. 13 at 4 p.m. on KCET
Filmed in 2014, this concert special showcases one of rock’s great female icons, Melissa Etheridge and her band as they perform on the final night of her national “This Is M.E.” tour at the historic Orpheum in Los Angeles.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: “Stonewall Uprising” – Mon., Jun. 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal
When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

A MURDER IN MONTROSE: THE PAUL BROUSSARD LEGACY – Mon., Jun. 14 at 11:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal
In 1991, Paul Broussard, a 27-year-old gay man, was murdered on the streets of Houston. Through the documentary exposes the aftermath of this pivotal event – from civil unrest to hate crime legislation; from victim’s rights to political activism, Houston and the nation would never be the same again.

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is” – Wed., Jun. 16 at 10 p.m. on KCET
Explore the life and career of the Grammy-winning conductor, pianist and composer. A National Medal of Arts recipient and longtime Grammy^®-winning music director of the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas helped set the standard that an American orchestra should champion modern music.

KCET MUST SEE MOVIES: “The Birdcage” – Fri., Jun. 18 at 8 p.m. on KCET
A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing moralistic parents. Starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman (1996).

THE LAVENDER SCARE – Mon., Jun. 21 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat., Jun. 19 at 6 p.m. on KCET
Narrated by Glenn Close and featuring the voices of Cynthia Nixon, Zachary Quinto, T. R. Knight and David Hyde Pierce, the film tells the little-known story of an unrelenting campaign by the federal government to identify and fire employees suspected of being homosexual. Based on the award-winning book by David K. Johnson.

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives” – Wed., Jun. 23 at 10 p.m. on KCET
An outspoken political activist and singer-songwriter, Holly Near’s music and life story illustrate how song can have the power to send a clarion call and influence the course of social justice – from the lesbian and women’s movements to anti-war efforts and the fight to give South American women a voice.

PRIDELAND – Fri., Jun. 25 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., Jun. 27 at 5 p.m. on KCET
Follow queer actor Dyllón Burnside on a journey to discover how LGBTQ Americans are finding ways to live authentically and with pride in the modern-day South.

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Keith Haring: Street Art Boy” – Wed., Jun. 30 at 10 p.m. on KCET
Explore the definitive story of international art sensation Keith Haring who blazed a trail through the art scene of ‘80s New York and revolutionized the worlds of pop culture and fine art. The film features previously unheard interviews with Haring.

For a full schedule of Pride Month programming, please visit kcet.org/Pride and pbssocal.org/Pride.

Join the conversation on social media using #KCET, #PBSSoCal and #Pride

About PBS SOCAL and KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and educate. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films with works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs like DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. KCET showcases the best of PBS and is a leading source for arts, culture, and news in Southern California. Through innovative storytelling, KCET explores and expresses our dynamic local communities helping residents understand and connect with the region's diverse communities and ideas. For additional information about both KCET and PBS SoCal productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org and pbssocal.org KCET Originals and PBS programming are available to stream on the FREE PBS App on iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Chromecast. KCET is also available to watch live on YouTube TV.