What is Pride Month?

Pride Month is dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQ+ voices, a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture, and the support of LGBTQ+ rights. As a higher education institution, our students come from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Recognizing pride month is an important way we can share our values of excellence, integrity, community, and to make sure our faculty, staff, and students feel welcomed and accepted for who they are.

You can learn more about the history of Pride Month by watching this short video here.

Pride Month History

• Pride Month is celebrated in June to coincide with the catalyst of the Gay Liberation Movement that was the Stonewall Uprising. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided a popular gay bar in N.Y.C.’s West Village, The Stonewall Inn.
• This raid resulted in bar patrons, staff, and neighborhood residents protesting onto Christopher Street outside. Among the many leaders of the was a black, trans, bisexual woman, Marsha P. Johnson, leading the movement that continued over six days.
• The message was clear — protestors demanded the establishment of places where LGBTQ+ people could go and be open about their sexual orientation without fear of arrest.
• The Stonewall Inn was declared a historic landmark by the city of New York in 2015 and later named a national monument in 2016.

Additional Resources
Pride Month Timeline
Pride Month Photos from Around the World