The drag queens at the Stonewall riot in June 1969 would be proud. As the years have passed, pride celebrations memorializing their courage have become a kind of cottage industry, with hundreds taking place worldwide. Pride weekend grew into pride season, spreading out parades and parties over a series of summer weekends so that neighboring gay communities could attend each other’s events.
Today pride events are scattered all over the calendar, starting in March and not ending until August, offering opportunities for gays, lesbians and everyone under the queer umbrella to celebrate pride year round in communities all over the globe. Pridefest Ft. Lauderdale in South Florida kicks off March 21 for a weekend event which includes non-stop entertainment both days, local DJ’s and other festivities. Next month, the city of brotherly love celebrates its 10th annual Philly Black Pride event April 19, followed by a weeklong festival featuring parties, and workshops and more. Southern Californians kick off their 26th Annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Celebration. May 16. Long Beach pride is considered the third largest celebration in the US, attracting over 80,000 participants to the two-day festival. Internationally, an upcoming event that pride seekers can look forward to is Europride ’09 in Zurich, Switzerland . Beginning May 2, the city of Zurich will host an entire month of events, climaxing on June 6 with a large-scale festival and parade.
Photo Credit: ~Mina~
