Resources for Communicators: Pride Month

Celebrated June 1- 31

According to the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), the total LGBTQ population (age 13+) in Ohio is estimated to be 462,000--with the percent of the workforce who identify as LGBTQ at 5%. 

Each June, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated all over the United States to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had.

The first official Pride parade began in 1970 on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, with the Christopher Street Liberation Day. The next year, in 1971, cities around the United States and the world, held their own Pride marches from Boston to London to West Berlin. The first public pride celebration in Greater Cincinnati was held April 6-8, 1973.

While not an official federal holiday, three presidents of the United States have officially declared a pride month: President Bill Clinton: 1999 and 2000; President Barack Obama: 2009 to 2016; and President Joe Biden: 2021. President Donald Trump did not officially proclaim LGBTQ Pride Month, but he acknowledged it in a tweet in 2019.

Learn more and find ways to celebrate LGBTQA+ this month and throughout the year:

Area Resources & Events

• Cincinnati Black Pride
• Cincinnati Pride
• Dayton area pride celebrations
• Our history: Book explores paradox of Cincinnati’s LGBTQ history
• Pride Month events in Greater Cincinnati

National Resources

• Encyclopedia Britannica
• History.com
• How the Rainbow Became the Symbol for LGBTQ+ Pride
• Human Rights Campaign
• Library of Congress - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month
• LGBTQ History Month: The road to America's first gay pride march
• The Meaning Behind 24 LGBTQ Pride Flags
• PFLAG: What Makes Pride?
• Pride Month Resource Kit for Journalists
• Union Guide to Discussing LGBTQ+ People and Issues
• U.S. Department of Labor
• What are the origins of Pride Month?