June is a spectacular, sunny month to celebrate the summer, but most importantly, to celebrate LGBTQ Pride! Even though we love to show our pride and support all year round, June is the month to really be loud and proud and celebrate all across the nation!
LGBT Pride Month is celebrated in honor of the Stonewall Riots, which was a huge movement for the LGBT community back in 1969 that took place in Manhattan, NY. It started as a Gay Pride Day but soon expanded into a month-long celebration to spread love, have fun, and show support.
In 2003, St. Pete branched out from the Greater Tampa Bay Pride Festival and held its first very own Pride Festival in the Grand Central District. The St. Petersburg City Council initially announced “the Month of June as St. Petersburg Pride Month in the City and ask all citizens to take pride in the diversity of our community.” Ever since then, St. Pete has been celebrating annually and is constantly growing each year.
St Pete Pride has been making its mark for years. In 2014, Mayor Rick Kriseman was the first St. Petersburg mayor to be a part of the Pride festivities. The actual theme of Pride 2015 was “Making History,” as the U.S. Supreme Court decision for legalizing same-sex marriage was made that year.
St. Pete Pride also made national history in 2017, when they were the first to hold a TransPride March on the same day as the main parade. Though transgender individuals are a part of the LGBT group, the trans community still feels marginalized according to one of the Pride board directors, Nathan Bruemmer. Transgender pride is usually celebrated on a separate day, so this inclusive decision was an awesome feat for the community.
According to stats from the 2017, St. Pete Pride draws well over 200,000 guests, including from all over the country and the world. It’s the largest Pride celebration south of Atlanta!
St. Petersburg is generally a very well-known city for showing its Pride! All month long local businesses are found decorating their windows and signs with rainbows and offering special deals to show their support. The official Pride Weekend in 2018 is June 22-24, which is when the annual St Pete Pride Parade is held, along with concerts, and the official St. Pete Pride Festival. Find out more about the events at www.stpetepride.com
At Evolve & Co, we get to work with a number of PRIDEful clients and we’ve loved every minute of the creative process of campaign building. June’s graphic designs, copywriting, and press are full of color, acceptance, and love. It’s our privilege to see to it that our clients’ voices are heard.
Sources:
http://tampahistorical.org/items/show/48
https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/
https://stpetepride.com/en/events/2018-festival
http://www.tbo.com/pinellas-county/history-in-the-making-for-st-pete-lgbt-pride-festival-20150625/
https://www.stpetepride.com/en/2017
