LGBTQI+ Pride is often recognized through protests, festivals, parades and other events to celebrate LGBTQI+ history, culture and activism.
The first Pride march in New York City — and one of the earliest major Pride events — occurred in June 1970. It marked the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City on June 28, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn — a popular bar with the LGBTQI+ community — and patrons resisted.
As communities outside the United States began marking Pride in 1980, the events took a different shape. Activists around the world began calling attention to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which hit the community particularly hard. LGBTQI+ individuals and activists mobilized, formed movements and organizations, and in many cases advocated forcefully for the community.
In 1999, President Clinton declared that the United States would recognize June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
During the 2000s, activists — particularly in the United States — used Pride Month to draw attention to legal recognition of same-sex marriage, among other issues. Today’s Pride events emphasize the community’s desire for an end to discrimination, violence and stigma and support for equal rights and justice.
Here are a few examples from around the world.
Botswana
Gaborone’s 2019 Pride event was the first following a ruling by Botswana’s High Court that decriminalized same-sex relationships. The previous law imposed up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships.
Germany
The Berlin festival is called Christopher Street Day in memory of the Stonewall Uprising and the Stonewall Inn, which is located on Christopher Street. Above are participants from the 2021 Berlin festival.
Guatemala
Guatemala City had the country’s first Pride parade in 2000. Above is a participant during the 2011 parade.
Israel
Tel Aviv hosts large Pride celebrations each year. Above are participants from the 2021 event.
Japan
The LGBTQI+ community in Tokyo organizes for Pride annually. Above, participants of a parade in Tokyo’s Shibuya district in 2017.
Mexico
In 2009, Mexico City became one of the first Latin American jurisdictions to legalize marriage equality. Above, the city’s Angel of Independence dominates the starting point of the 2019 parade.
Nepal
Nepal enshrined several specific protections for LGBTQI+ people in its 2015 constitution. Above, a participant poses in a Pride rally in Kathmandu in 2013.
Romania
The 2021 Bucharest Pride event above celebrated the 20th anniversary of the abolishment of Article 200, which authorized prison sentences of up to five years for same-sex relations in Romania.
South Africa
In 2006, South Africa became the first African country to legalize marriage equality. Above are participants during the 2019 Pride festival in Durbin.
South Korea
Seoul hosted its first Pride parade in 2000. Above are participants from a 2015 event.
Spain
Spain was one of the first nations to legalize marriage equality when its parliament acted in 2005. Above is the 2021 Pride festival in Madrid.
