Every June, the LGBTQ+ community joins together to celebrate Pride month. Although events are held throughout the summer, June was chosen to remember the Stonewall Riots which broke out in New York City in Greenwich Village on 28th June 1969. The riots began after the police raided one of the city’s most popular gay clubs, The Stonewall Inn, provoking the LGBTQ+ community to courageously fight back in protest.
A year after the riots, people gathered in New York to celebrate “Christopher Street Liberation Day,” referring to the Manhattan address of the Stonewall Inn, which, alongside events that took place in Los Angeles and San Francisco, marked the anniversary of an important moment in the history for LGBTQ+ rights.
From this a tradition was born. Every year, more and more cities across the country hold their own carnivals, street parades and parties to celebrate gay, lesbian and trans culture. In 1999, US President Bill Clinton declared the month of June as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month”. A decade later, Barack Obama extended its official title to be more inclusive, which became “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride month”.
Pride has made huge progress in securing rights and fairer representation for the LGBTQ+ community and provides a safe platform where members can speak out against discrimination and prejudice. However, there is still work to be done, as over 70 countries around the world still enforce homophobic legislation.
In the UK this summer, many Pride events have been pushed back and some cancelled due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, however there are still so many that are available for you to safely take part in.
Manchester Pride – Saturday 28th August
Theme: Garden of Freedom
There is also a live gig on the 28th and 29th with performances from some huge names in the music industry such as: Sigala, Annie Mac, Example, Zara Larsson, Ella Henderson and many more. For more information, check out https://www.manchesterpride.com/parade
Southampton Pride – Saturday 28th August
This event will have a market, food, drinks and a ‘boatload’ of entertainment for the whole family. This is a free event with no tickets needed. Visit https://southamptonpride.org/visitor-info/ for further details.
London’s Pride Parade – Saturday 11th September 2021
Theme: Visibility, Unity and Equality
This parade will see members of the public marching through the West End, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.
London Trans+ Pride – Saturday 26th June 2021
For more information on both London events, check out https://prideinlondon.org
Birmingham Pride – Saturday 25th September – Sunday 26th September 2021
For more information, check out https://birminghampride.com
Unfortunately Brighton Pride has had to cancel its event again this year due to the pandemic, but they reassure us that 2022 will be back and better than ever! For more information, check out https://www.brighton-pride.org
There is always a need for education and to anyone who is attending any of these or other Pride events, enjoy yourself, have fun and stay safe! Happy Pride month!
