Prince William Board of County Supervisors Recognizes June as Pride Month

The Board of County Supervisors has passed a resolution proclaiming June 2022 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, And More (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month.

On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular Greenwich Village bar, for the second time in a week — a common occurrence in an era when nearly all aspects of LGBTQ life were criminalized. That night, however, the crowd refused to disperse, and patrons clashed with police as the confrontation swelled to include hundreds of demonstrators. These riots continued for a number of days as protestors called for the end of persecution and for the creation of places where they could gather and be open about their sexuality and gender identity without fear of reprisal.

Though preempted by other uprisings, like the Black Cat and Compton’s Cafeteria Riots on the west coast in the years prior, the Stonewall Riots have been widely regarded as the beginning of the Gay Liberation Movement and set the stage for what we would consider Pride Month, held in June, in remembrance of the Stonewall raid and the response that followed.

The month-long celebration, which includes parades, community events, educational sessions, workshops, and other events, offers the opportunity to promote equal rights, dignity and self-affirmation and to celebrate the influence members of the community have had around the world and in local communities like ours. The month also serves to raise public awareness of the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, including their legal persecution and their struggle for Equal Rights, as well as the challenges the LGBTQIA+ community continues to face, like housing, medical, and employment disparities.

We ask the community to join us as we observe PRIDE this year and honoring the diversity and resiliency of our LGBTQIA+ community throughout June and beyond.