A Pride Parade is an event that celebrates people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). The parades can also act as demonstrations in support of LGBTQ rights. Pride Parades happen in cities all over the world, most often in the month of June.​

​Pride Parades usually take place in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots. The riots, which included clashes between police and gay rights activists, were an important moment in the modern LGBTQ movement. Pride Parades honor the history of that movement and create a community of LGBTQ individuals and allies.​

​The first Pride Parades were held in 1970, one year after the Stonewall riots. They took place in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. They grew each year and spread internationally. In 2019, the Pride Parade marking the 50th anniversary of Stonewall had over five million attendees in New York City.​

​If you go to a Pride Parade, you will see a lot of rainbow colors. That’s because the rainbow flag has been representing the LGBTQ community since 1978. The original flag, designed by Gilbert Baker, had 8 colors, including hot pink, turquoise, and indigo. ​

​Eventually, the pink and turquoise colors were taken out of the design, and the indigo was changed to blue. Today the flag has six colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. ​

​What you might not know is that each color has a meaning. Red means life. Orange means healing. Yellow means sunlight. Green stands for nature, while blue represents art and harmony. Finally, violet means spirit. ​

​A Pride Parade is a colorful and fun event. It is full of positivity, acceptance, and celebration. It is full of pride.