Science Center will connect Pride and folklore at upcoming 21+ night

Some people go to the Kamin Science Center for a field trip. Others visit to take in exhibits dedicated to galaxies far, far away. On June 12, Pittsburghers have the opportunity to check out the science center after dark while they learn about LGBTQ history and show their pride in a fantastical way during the Kamin Science Center’s Queer as Folklore 21+ night. Following the success of last year’s first-ever Kamin Science Center Pride event, this year, the public is invited to a night where mythology, pride, history, and science joyfully collide.  Where the 2025 inaugural event was an umbrella pride event, Andrea Tomaro, public and community programs coordinator for the Kamin Science Center, tells Pittsburgh City Paper that this year the organizers went for a theme inspired by a book of the same name that explores the queer history of folklore characters through the ages.  “It seemed like a very fun topic to dive into, and on top of this, too, we were talking about things like how unicorns and mermaids and fairies have always been icons to represent [the] LGBTQ community,” Tomaro says. Throughout the course of the night, Tomaro says, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy exclusive mocktails and cocktails, watch the Pittsburgh Pride Choir perform, and watch a high-fantasy themed drag show, all while learning which mythological creatures are queer-coded. In addition to the fun, Tomaro says, it was important to give attendees the chance to learn about LGBTQ figures throughout history. “This is a whole plethora of information and fun topics to dive into with this, the idea of talking about how quer people have always been here, even in ancient times,” Tomaro says. “You see a lot of ancient mythology talking about androgyny being regarded as otherworldly and ethereal; you see talks about sexuality between different mythological creatures and legendary heroes and stuff like that come up, too.” Unrelated to the gods and goddess