Why is Pride celebrated in June?
The easiest and fastest answer to this question is that the rights for all sorts of marginalized groups from our society shouldn’t be taken for granted. Being able to still celebrate, commemorate and fight for our rights it’s not a “given”, it’s something we should use at its maximum capacity. Why? Because we never know what turn around can occur in this unstable world nowadays.
While significant progress has been made in many countries, LGBTQ+ people around the world still face discrimination, unequal treatment, and barriers to expressing their identity freely. Pride and Pride month remain socially and politically essential. Demonstrations, marches, public speeches and other manifestations take place every year in the month of June. This month has been chosen as the Pride month backed up by the “Christopher Street Day”. If this is your first time hearing about CSD, let us briefly explain what happened on this day in 1969!
In New York’s Greenwich Village, at the Stonewall Inn, in the early morning of 28th of June, police raided a very popular gathering place for the young members of the LGBTQ+ community. They started to arrest the bar patrons for selling liquor without a licence and cleared up the pubs, implying as well that people weren’t dressed “properly for their gender”. It wasn’t the first time the police harassed the members of the LGBTQ+ community, times in which they stayed silent, but this time they chose not to anymore. For the next 5 days, the Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising) marked the beginning of the modern fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. The next year, in 1970, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March was held on June 28, finally honouring the first anniversary of the riots.
While some activists suggested using the slogan "Gay Power," many felt the community was not politically powerful enough yet. However, they had a reason to be proud of their identity. So, instead, the march adopted the theme "Gay Pride." Thousands of people joined the event, chanting slogans such as "Say it clear, say it loud. Gay is good, gay is proud."
More than fifty years later, Pride celebrations continue to take place around the world. And this is why Pride Month is celebrated in June! Although many events are festive and joyful, they also carry the original message of the movement: everyone deserves equal rights, acceptance, and the freedom to be themselves.
What Makes a Pride Parade So Special?
Some people still ask “Why is Pride still needed?”
Pride started as a protest and pride parades (also called Pride March) are organized as a reminder that the community is still fighting for equality, and it’s also a celebration of how far it has come!
If you’ve never attended a Pride parade before, you should expect a colorful street party. Singing, chanting slogans such as “Love is love”, lots of pancarts, people holding hands, flags, pop music and much more. However, this is not all. As mentioned above, this whole parade is a way to show publicly that the community exists and still militates for the same rights. Visibility plays an important role for the communities that face discrimination.
Therefore, this parade combines celebration with an important message about acceptance. The atmosphere is welcoming, joyful and inclusive. Everybody is welcomed to participate, beside the LGBTQ+ members, the presence of allies (people who are not members of the community but support it) is significant. For many people, it’s the chance to feel seen, supported and connected to a community that celebrates diversity. For many of them, attending a Pride parade is the first opportunity to openly express their identity in a supportive environment. The members of LGBTQ+ face a lot of hate on a daily basis, and this parade and this month as a whole is supposed to provide a safe space to embrace their identity without fear of judgment.
Pride parades are so special because they inspire hope. They bring people together and create a sense of belonging. Many people spend a part of their life, even the whole of it, feeling different, isolated or misunderstood. Pride parades are a very emotional experience, because a lot of people from the community never felt comfortable expressing their identity openly before; this is the space that allows them to think that nothing is wrong with them.
Pride celebrations encourage people to be themselves. Yes, people dress colorful and sing, but it is also a reminder for all the people who fought before for the rights that exist now. The whole Pride month is also supported by all sorts of events that bring people together, such as concerts, speeches, parties and social-cultural activities as well (fashion shows, cooking classes, talent shows, poetry slams and much more, depending on the host).
Pride parades are special because they’re a powerful reminder that everyone deserves a place in this world.
Pride Village and the Power of Community
A Pride Village is often the heart of Pride celebrations. While the Pride Parade brings people together through a public march, the Pride Village offers a space to connect, learn, and celebrate. Visitors can explore community stands, enjoy live performances, discover local organizations, and meet people from diverse backgrounds in a welcoming environment.
While the Pride Parade is often the most visible part of Pride Month, many attendees find that the heart of the celebration lies within the Pride Village. These dedicated spaces bring together LGBTQ+ organizations, local businesses, artists, volunteers, and community groups, creating an environment where people can connect, learn, and celebrate together.
A Pride Village typically offers a variety of activities, from live performances and educational workshops to information stands and support services. Attendees can learn more about LGBTQ+ rights, discover local initiatives, and meet people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. For those attending Pride for the first time, the Pride Village provides a welcoming introduction to the community in a more relaxed setting than the parade itself.
Many Pride events also include a Pride House, a safe and inclusive space where attendees can access resources, attend discussions, or simply take a break from the crowds. These spaces highlight an important aspect of Pride: while the celebrations are joyful, they are also built on the values of support, acceptance, and solidarity.
The power of a Pride Village lies in its ability to bring people together. Whether someone identifies as LGBTQ+, is an ally, or is simply curious to learn more, everyone is welcome to participate. Conversations begin, friendships are formed, and people often leave feeling more connected than when they arrived.
This is the concept of a village, right? To create a community that trusts each other!
From Berlin to Anywhere: How Pride Connects People
One of the most beautiful things about Pride is its ability to bring people together across cultures, languages, and borders. No matter where you come from, Pride celebrations create spaces where people can connect through shared experiences, mutual respect, and a common belief in equality. I’ve known people traveling from one city to another, in their own country or across the borders, “only” to experience the Pride parade multiple times.
A great example of this can be found in Berlin, home to one of Europe's largest Pride events. Known as CSD Berlin (Christopher Street Day Berlin), the annual Pride Parade attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and visitors from all Europe and not only. Held exactly on the 28th of June every year, Berlin has a long history of LGBTQ+ activism. The event typically features colourful floats, live music, speeches, but also a large CSD demonstration through the city's streets. The city has been considered one of Europe's most progressive and diverse cities for decades, with a vibrant LGBTQ+ community dating back to the early 20th century. Did you know that before WW2, Germany was actually pretty accepting towards research about sexuality and towards people who were part of the community? This happened way more before the CSD from New York!
What makes Pride special is that its message extends far beyond a single city. Whether attending Stuttgart Pride, joining a local Pride Week event, or taking part in a Pride celebration elsewhere in the world, people come together to support visibility! They talk, dance together, sing, create art, all sorts of activities supported by the context that create connection between people.
For many expats, international students, and professionals living abroad, Pride can also offer something deeply personal: a sense of belonging, beyond them being already in a foreign place. Moving to a new country often means leaving behind familiar support networks. Pride events create opportunities to meet new people, find community, and feel connected in an unfamiliar space.
While every Pride Parade is unique, they all share the same goal: creating a world where everyone feels free to be themselves. From Berlin to anywhere, Pride reminds us that a community has the power to cross borders and bring people together.
Pride Reminds Us That Everyone Deserves to Belong
Everything related to Pride month, including Pride parades, exist to offer the proper space for the community to gather together and finally feel, even only for one day, like they deserve to live without having to explain themselves. That they deserve to feel joy, to feel normal and to be proud of their identity.
Existence is resistance and it’s a political act.
For many people, simply being themselves remains a political act. Yet beyond the activism, Pride is also about human moments: meeting people who understand your journey, feeling accepted without explanation, and realizing that you are part of a community much larger than yourself. In simpler words, you don’t feel alone anymore and suddenly you’re not alone anymore.
