Pride Month

Pride month is about acceptance, equality, and celebrating the work of LGBTQIA+ people, education in LGBTQIA+ history, and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community.

The celebration of Pride can mean different things to different people. Pride is celebrated in many ways, from large parades with floats and music to peaceful protests featuring speakers who may want to draw attention and increase awareness of the violence and inequality that LGBTQIA+ people face. Pride is unique to each individual, so all forms of celebration are valid.

The origins of Pride started as a response to a police raid on a pub that was popular with members of the LGBTIA+ community in New York in June 1969. These were known as the “Stonewall Riots,” now known as the “Stonewall Rebellion”. Many raids like this occurred before, but the patrons fought back this time. The raid sparked an uprising among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly threw employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and worldwide.

During Pride Month, the Pride Alliance of Livingston, a community action committee of the Livingston Diversity Council, hosts three annual events: the Rainbow Reception in Brighton, our Pride Parade in Howell and a Pride Trivia Night in partnership with Kenny Privett Productions and Jamesons Irish Pub and Grill.