June is Pride Month, an annual event to celebrate and honor LGBTQ+ culture. It is celebrated worldwide each year in June, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
Pride Month commemorates the impact of the gay liberation movement and highlights the progress it has made while advocating for equality and the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. Check out our resources, come to an event, or learn more about pride history.
The LGBTQ+ community has made great advances in the fight for equal rights. To celebrate the good that has been accomplished and to remind ourselves of the obstacles that still exist, Pride Month is held annually in June.
One of the origin stories of Pride Month traces back to the Stonewall Riots. The riots, also called the "Stonewall Uprising," was a series of violent confrontations that began in the early hours of June 28, 1969, between police and gay rights activists outside the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. As the riots progressed, an international gay rights movement was born.
Early demonstrations in the movement often focused simply on participants’ individual freedom, and on the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. By the 1980s -- particularly after the spread of AIDS -- political and social activism had become central to Pride events. Pride events usually attract several hundred thousand to more than a million celebrants annually.
Summary created with Britannica Library
June 1: LGBTQ Families Day is a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ families. This event aims to raise awareness of the diversity, challenges, and joys of all LGBTQ+ families (found, formed, and chosen) who exist throughout our society.
June 12: Pulse Remembrance Day honors the 49 victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting, and to remember the tragedy and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
June 15: Anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Protect LGBTQ+ employees. The ruling was a victory as it ensured that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation & gender identity is illegal.
June 26: Anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court legalizing marriage equality. The landmark 5-4 decision, granted same-sex couples in all 50 states the right to full, equal recognition of marriage under law.
June 27: National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) encourages HIV testing as a critical tool to help end the HIV epidemic in the United States.
June 28: Stonewall Day elevates awareness and support for the Stonewall Riots legacy and the continuing fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.
