As June 2024 closes out, we take time to honor our own LGBT musician members who contribute so much to the world! Many of our finest musicians, like Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, Janelle Monae, George Michaels, Tracy Chapman, Joan Jett., and more have enriched our lives with great music reflecting on our own lives. Take time to tell your loved ones that they are important to you and that you would be lost without them.
From Wikipedia:
LGBT Pride Month, often shortened to Pride Month, is a month, typically June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride.
The concept of Pride Month was inspired by the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation riots that took place over several days beginning on June 28, 1969. The riots began after a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located within Lower Manhattan in New York City. Activists Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLarverie are credited for inciting the riots, though Johnson disputes her involvement.
The year after the riots, the first pride marches were held in several US cities. The march in New York City, aimed to celebrate the “Christopher Street Liberation Day”, alongside parallel marches across the US, is considered to be a watershed moment for LGBT rights. Fred Sargeant, an organizer of some of the first marches, said that the goal was to commemorate the Stonewall riots and further push for liberation. He noted that while the first marches were more akin to a protest than a celebration, it helped to remind people of LGBT communities and how they may include one’s family and friends. Transgender women and people of color were noted to have been excluded or silenced during the early marches, despite the initial riots largely consisting of them.
Spread and celebration
Following the Stonewall riots and the first pride marches, the number of LGBT groups rapidly increased, and the pride movement spread across the United States after a few years. As of 2020, most pride celebrations in major urban areas around the world are held in June, although some cities hold them at different times of the year partially because of the weather in June being suboptimal for such events there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_Month
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2024 Coors Light Denver Pride Parade
Join us Sunday, June 23, 2024 beginning at 9:30 am for the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade! Heading west on Colfax, the parade spans 14 blocks and ends near Civic Center Park, where the celebrations continue at day two of Denver PrideFest.
Attending the parade is FREE! We encourage you to find your place along the route early, as 100,000+ people are expected to line the streets of this year parade as they take in the sights and sounds, as we come together to celebrate the Rocky Mountain queer community.
Accessible Parade Viewing
Accessible seating for the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade is available next to the State Capitol along Colfax Ave, between Sherman St. and Grant St.
ASL Priority seating will be available within the section, and an interpreter will be present to translate announcements.
Wheelchair parking/seating is also available throughout the space.
Each attendee is allowed to bring two-able bodied friends into the seating area. Able-bodied friends should prioritize our guests with disabilities as needed. We highly recommend sunscreen and water, as there is no shade in this area.
https://denverpride.org/parade/
Photo: Denver’s 2023 Pride Parade