Pride month celebrations, which have become larger and more widely attended since 1969, especially after gay and lesbian marriage was legalized in 2015, are now celebrated in cities across the US, according to the Independent.
“I’m so excited by it,” said Eva, a 17-year-old participant in the National Student Leadership Conference. Eva, who identifies as bisexual, enjoys pride month and the activities that come with it.
Celebrating pride can mean many different things to many different people.
70-year-old Leslie Ewing said, “for me, I’m celebrating that I’m a big old dyke” according to an interview conducted by Berkeleyside News.
Ewing is the executive director of the Pacific Center, an LGBT advocacy center based in Berkeley.
For many, Pride is a place for “people who haven’t previously had the opportunity to express themselves,” 19-year-old Kalissa said.
Kalissa said she couldn’t speak for everyone, but “from what I have seen the people that I know do support it and are happy with it.”
Pride month, which first came about in June of 1969, according to the Library of Congress, is a series of parades, concerts, picnics, and events celebrating the gay community.
In the state of Minnesota, 4.1 percent of the population identifies as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer. Of that 4.1 percent, about 28% are 50 years of age or older, according to data from the Williams Institute.
That means that in the entire state of Minnesota, about 1.1% of the population over the age of 50 is a part of this community.
Picture taken by Tony Webster
About 300,000 people attended the Minneapolis Pride parade that took place on Sunday, June 23rd, according to MPR News.