The LGBT+ community comes together across the world every June to celebrate Pride Month.
While events actually take place throughout the summer, June was chosen to remember the Stonewall Riots that broke out in Greenwich Village, New York City, on 28 June 1969 after police raided one of the city’s most popular gay clubs, prompting the regulars to fight back courageously in protest.
A year later, marchers coordinated by activist Brenda Howard and others gathered in New York to celebrate “Christopher Street Liberation Day”, alluding to the Manhattan address of the Stonewall Inn, which, along with parallel events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, marked the anniversary of a watershed moment in the history of LGBT+ rights.
An annual tradition was born, with more and more cities across the globe staging their own carnivals and street parades to celebrate gay, lesbian and trans culture.
US president Bill Clinton officially declared June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” in June 1999 before fellow Democrat Barack Obama extended its title to the more inclusive “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month” a decade later.
The movement has served an important campaigning role over the years, calling for the mainstream acceptance of sexual diversity and drawing attention to a range of rights issues and injustices associated with the cause.
Pride has made huge strides in securing rights and fairer representation for LGBT+ citizens and plays an important role in providing a platform from which the community can speak out against discrimination and prejudice.
But, even in the year that Blackpool footballer Jake Daniels became the first playing professional in the men’s game to come out, it still has work to do given that 70 countries around the world continue to enforce homophobic legislation, including, in extreme cases, the death penalty.
In the UK this summer, Pride events will be back in full swing with street parades returning after two years of disruption and disappointment thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
London Pride returns on Saturday 2 July with a parade from Marble Arch to Embankment via Park Lane and Piccadilly to mark the 50th anniversary of the first LGBT+ rights march in the British capital.
There are all manner of events taking place across the city this month, from Drag Bingo at The Duchess Pub in Hammersmith to a Judy Garland sing-along at the BFI Southbank, and you can find all the information you need on the organisers’ website.
And that is just the start, with Pride celebrations taking place in every major British city throughout the summer.
Oxford Pride takes place on 4 June, Edinburgh and Glasgow both stage their celebrations on 25 June, Northern Pride runs in Newcastle from 22-24 July and Liverpool Pride follows the weekend after on 30 July.
Brighton Pride, one of the UK’s biggest festivals, kicks off this year from 5-7 August and you can find all the details and ticket information on its dedicated site.
Leeds Pride is also happening on 7 August while Manchester Pride is 26-29 August, Southampton Pride is 27 August and Birmingham Pride gets underway from 24-25 September.
You can find more information about precisely what is happening in each location by following the links provided.
