Pride Month is a wrap. This year was monumental—50 years since Stonewall.
What began as a single confrontational event that turned into a one-day march, grew into a weekend and then blossomed into a weeklong festival, has matured into a month of non-stop activities for all ages. However, we can’t seem to agree on how we define Stonewall. An uprising? Protests? Riots? What happened and who was there continues to be debated. But 50 years ago, the world changed.
ABOVE: The entrance to Alibi Lounge in Harlem. (Photo courtesy Alibi’s Facebook)
NEW YORK (AP) | A rainbow flag was set on fire at the entrance to a New York City gay bar on July 8 — the second such incident at the same club in just over a month.
Alibi Lounge owner Alexi Minko said staff members, alerted by someone on the street, found the flag had been set aflame between 12:20 a.m. and 12:45 a.m. New York City police were already investigating a possible anti-gay bias crime after rainbow flags at the Harlem bar’s entrance were torched just after midnight May 31, a day before the start of the city’s Pride Month celebrations.
YouTuber Phil Lester came out as gay in a video released on Sunday.
Lester, 32, boasts more than four million subscribers. His coming out video has received more than two million views.
Madonna capped off the massive WorldPride celebration in New York City with a concert on Pier 97 for the Pride Island concert on Sunday.
She acknowledged the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which ignited the gay liberation movement, in between her set.
Rapper Lil Nas X came out as part of the LGBTQ community on the last day of Pride month.
“Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to ‘c7osure’,” Lil Nas X wrote on Twitter along with a clip from his song “C7osure” and a rainbow emoji.
ST. PETERSBURG | The Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated the Ottawa Fury FC at Al Lang Stadium with a 2-1 added-time win during the team’s Pride Night June 29.
The celebratory evening began with a pregame tailgate party and kicked off at 8 p.m. Multiple Tampa Bay LGBTQ organizations benefited from ticket sales, which if purchased by June 19 included a Rowdies Pride scarf.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr affirmed his position of “zero tolerance” for hate crimes against LGBT people in a statement to Justice Department employees recognizing Pride Month.
In the statement, which was sent to Justice Department employees June 27 and shared with the Washington Blade, Barr declares the department is “fortunate to have many talented and dedicated LGBT public servants who work hard on behalf of the American people.”
More than 8,000 people participated in the Ukrainian capital’s annual Pride parade that took place on Sunday.
The Associated Press reported police kept parade participants separate from LGBTI rights opponents who protested the event. Officials said nine people were arrested during the parade, but Kyiv Pride Director Ruslana Panukhnyk told the Washington Blade there were “no major incidents.”
When Washington Nationals ace relief pitcher Sean Doolittle travels to away games, he uses his free time to hunt down local, independently owned bookstores. He posts his findings on his Twitter feed to help raise awareness for the oftentimes struggling bookstores.
Small bookstores are one of the many causes locally and nationally that Doolittle has taken under his wing. In mid-May, he sat down with his wife Eireann Dolan and turned his attention to another cause they both advocate for–LGBTQ rights.
Two high school football players from Kearns, Utah have been suspended from the team for posting and sharing a video showing a Pride flag burning and using homophobic language.
The player, from Kearns High School, posted a video on Snapchat of someone lighting a Pride flag on fire. In the video, someone can be heard saying “All gays die.”
LARGO, Fla. | Advocates and allies gathered June 18 at Largo City Hall to raise the Pride flag in recognition of Pride Month, a historical first for the city of over 82,000.
“Happy Pride Month, Largo! The City of Largo is committed to building an inclusive community that is diverse, and respects and values the perspectives of all individuals,” officials shared via social media ahead of the gathering. They subsequently welcomed supporters to join them for the ceremony to “create an inclusive, equitable and compassionate community.”
Cody Barlow, a straight man from the small town of Hulbert, Oklahoma, decided to show his support for LGBTQ pride by decking out his truck’s tailgate with a rainbow.
“Not all country boys are bigots—Happy Pride month,” the message reads.
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