Keith Edwards wants his star-studded NYC Pride livestream to answer Trump's attacks with queer joy

Keith Edwards is taking his audience to the largest Pride celebration in the United States.On Sunday, the progressive digital commentator will step out from behind the format that made him one of YouTube's most-watched political voices and into the streets of Manhattan to host a live broadcast from the 57th annual New York City Pride March, in partnership with GLAAD.The livestream, scheduled to begin at noon Eastern on his YouTube channel, will feature conversations from the official NYC Pride float as the parade moves through the city. Edwards said confirmed guests include New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, comedian Kathy Griffin, YouTuber and commentator Adam Mockler, actor Billy Porter, drag performer and television personality Peppermint, and actor and host Jonathan Bennett, along with writer Liz Plank, comedian Rob Anderson, and creator Monte Mader — a list he said is still growing. The broadcast will also raise money for GLAAD and Heritage of Pride.Edwards has more than 1.2 million YouTube subscribers and a combined following across Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook, with his channel currently drawing roughly 40 million views a month. At a moment when audiences increasingly encounter politics and culture through creators rather than cable news panels, those numbers are the point. Edwards is betting he can move Pride across platforms in real time. Keith Edwards will host a star-studded NYC Pride livestream on YouTube in partnership with GLAAD.Vikram Valluri + Jeremy CohenAnd for him, the goal isn't simply to stream a parade. It's to make joy a public act at a time when LGBTQ+people, and transgender people in particular, are facing sustained political attacks."I think what this is really about is spreading joy at a time when the administration and the country's temperature is wanting to keep us suppressed," Edwards told The Advocate in an interview earlier this month. "One of the most radical things you can do in a moment of extreme fear and a moment of authoritaria