Pride Month was established as a way to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, a series of spontaneous protests by the LGBTQ+ community when police raided a gay bar in New York City. Over 50 years later, Pride is still a time widely celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community in America.
This Pride Month, we covered Pride celebrations, commemorations for the victims of the Pulse tragedy, and conversations that matter to LGBTQ+ individuals.
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Pulse Remembrance
In Central Florida, Pride Month is an especially trying time as we honor the 49 victims who lost their lives during the Pulse shooting in 2016. This year marked seven years since the tragedy and the community showed up to remember the friends and neighbors who are no longer with us. To appropriately pay tribute to the event, we’ve made a tag specifically for Pulse coverage, which you can find here.
Celebrations
Along with honoring our LGBTQ+ community members, we also take the month of June to celebrate them. This month, Kissimmee shut down a block in order to host a massive outdoor block party for PrideFest. At Walt Disney World, LGBTQ+ people flocked to Florida for the Gay Days festival, held at Walt Disney World since 1991.
Important Conversations
These past few months, Florida has been the center of controversy surrounding our LGBTQ+ community. There have been many important conversations had, such as the place for drag shows after the passage of the “Protection of Children Act,” the ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, and the place for Pride in high school yearbooks.
Despite the end of Pride Month, keep on top of ClickOrlando’s coverage for all updates on significant LGBTQ+ issues.
Stay tuned to the Our Roots newsletter for August, where we will recognize Black Business Month, a time to recognize and support Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in Central Florida.
If you have any questions, comments, or story tips, please reach out to me at bellis@wkmg.com.