Gay Pride (now officially known as LGBT Pride) is celebrated worldwide in June, with various events and commemorations held throughout the month. But if you want to pinpoint some days to pop the champagne, three dates are especially significant: June 28, the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which kicked off the modern gay-rights movement; June 26, the anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage by the Supreme Court in 2015; and the last Sunday in June, the date of the New York City Pride March.
Gay Pride was originally celebrated primarily on parade days. In New York City, one of the world’s biggest Pride parades — officially dubbed the Pride March — began in 1970. In 2017, it’s on June 25 and begins at noon, starting at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue and ending at Christopher and Greenwich streets. For the first time, ABC Channel 7 will broadcast the Pride March live, from 12pm to 3pm EST, and it will be streamed on abc7ny.com.
The March passes by the historic Stonewall Inn, the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, when patrons fought back against a police raid; smaller altercations continued for several days. It’s now considered the birthplace of the gay-rights movement and led to annual Pride parades. (The first was held in Chicago on June 27, 1970; New York City followed suit a day later.)
The March also kicks off New York City’s official Pride Week, with events including concerts, dances, festivals and more.
From 2009 to 2016, President Barack Obama declared June to be LGBT Pride Month, and the White House was lit in the colors of the Pride Flag. In 2017, President Trump declined to do so.
