Every year during the month of June, the LGBTQIA+ community across the world celebrates with events held to recognise the influence LGBTQIA+ people have had around the globe as well as to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues being faced.
This is not to be confused with LGBTQIA+ History Month in February which is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements.
Pride events and parades are a vital platform for all members of the LGBTQIA+ communities to express themselves creatively and celebrate their identity. Pride month is also an opportunity to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and advocate for the freedoms that will enable everyone to live their lives on equal footing.
The history of Pride month
June was chosen for Pride month as this was when the instrumental Stonewall Riots took place, back in 1969 on June 28. The riots occurred following a raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The bar was considered a haven for the city’s LGBTQIA+ community and at the time, bars and restaurants could get shut down for having gay employees or serving gay customers.
While police raids on similar establishments were sadly very common, the Stonewall Inn raid sparked an uprising and the community decided to fight back, launching an era of resistance and revolution.
The first LGBTQIA+ Pride event in the USA, the Liberation Day March, was coordinated by Brenda Howard, who became known as the 'Mother of Pride.' This then developed into the annual celebrations in June.
Pride in the UK
The popular Pride in London parade will be held on Saturday 1 July 2023. From Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall Place, over 500 groups and 30,000+ participants will march in the iconic Pride in London Parade.
You can take part as a group, an individual or volunteer to be a flag bearer or steward.
Pride in London is a non-profit organisation, with surplus funds generated reinvested back into the LGBT+ community, to support initiatives and campaigns that aim to promote greater inclusivity and acceptance.
Local Pride events
Typical Pride events include parades, marches poetry readings, public speaking, educational sessions and more. And in fact, they actually go on way beyond June, with many lasting throughout the summer.
While London is certainly one of the most popular events in the UK, many locations such as Cornwall, Durham, Bristol and more all hold their own events.