What month is Pride Month? Plus, 10 ways to celebrate
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Discover what month is Pride Month, why it carries so much heart and history, and 10 simple but powerful ways to honor and support LGBTQIA+ pride all month long.
Celebrating Pride Month is a joyous moment for the LGBTQIA+ community and the people who love them. It’s filled with bright colors, jubilant parades, and tons of singing and dancing. But with all this celebrating, it may be easy to forget that Pride started as a protest against injustice during the Stonewall Uprising.
As a result of these protests, this month began to serve as a reminder that LGBTQIA+ people deserve dignity, safety, and joy. Too often, they’ve been pushed to the side, so Pride Month puts them front and center.
Pride’s a celebration of chosen family, trans joy, and unapologetic self-expression. It’s a lifeline for LGBTQIA+ people. It’s also a warm invitation for allies to show their support for their LGBTQIA+ friends and loved ones.
Here’s how you can show up for yourself and for this community during this month. Let’s hold our rainbow flags high and learn more — with love and care.
What (and when) is Pride Month?
Pride Month is a reflection of decades of struggle, courage, and collective movement. June marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, when LGBTQIA+ community members pushed back against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.
This six-day uprising became a spark for LGBTQIA+ rights movements around the globe. Since then, June has become a time to amplify queer voices, hold space for grief and joy, and recommit to the fight for equality.
This month usually includes parades, protests, drag brunches, storytelling nights, and healing circles. Also it’s important to note that not all Pride celebrations are the same — and that’s the point. This community is beautifully diverse, and so are the ways it gathers, mourns, and celebrates.
LGBTQIA+ people exist everywhere, and acknowledging Pride includes recognizing the privilege of public visibility, while standing in solidarity with those who face danger for simply being themselves.
In many places, Pride Month is celebrated in June. But people in other regions—like Australia and the Netherlands—celebrate Pride at different times of year. It all depends on their local culture.
Why Pride Month matters
Pride Month matters because LGBTQIA+ people still face disproportionate risks and erasure. Even as visibility increases in some areas, anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, stigma, and violence are escalating around the world.
For many, simply existing openly can still mean rejection from family, denial of healthcare, or threats to personal safety. But Pride isn’t just about hardship. It’s also about joy and honoring queer and trans lives.
Pride Month is a rare moment of collective affirmation, especially for those who don’t often see themselves reflected in the world around them. It’s also an opportunity for allies to show solidarity, amplify LGBTQIA+ voices, and challenge injustice. This is important to do in June, but also the entire year round as well.
A truly inclusive Pride honors race, gender identity, class, disability, and immigration status. It’s a reminder that LGBTQIA+ people deserve to be supported, protected, and celebrated — without conditions.
How to honor Pride Month: 10 ways to celebrate
One of the great things about Pride month is that it’s a celebration — and one that honors an important community to boot. Also, you can show your support in many different meaningful ways. There’s no one “correct” way to mark Pride.
If you’re looking to show up and show out this Pride Month, here are ten ways:
1. Support LGBTQIA+ creators, artists, and small businesses
Economic support is a powerful way to affirm someone’s worth, so put your dollars where they count.
What you can do:
Buy books by LGBTQIA+ authors, such as “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson or “On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong.
Stream films, and TV shows made by and starring queer folks (like Pose, Heartstopper, or RuPaul’s Drag Race).
Shop at queer-owned businesses in your community or online (Etsy is full of them, and many have directories for LGBTQIA+ makers).
Commission queer artists or donate to LGBTQIA+ freelancers and mutual aid funds.
2. Learn the history
The corporate side of Pride often leaves out hard truths, like how trans women of color led the charge at Stonewall or how LGBTQIA+ rights are still deeply uneven across race, class, and geography. So, educate yourself to better understand who you’re standing with — and what’s at stake.
What you can do:
Watch documentaries like “Paris is Burning” or, “How To Survive a Plague.”
Read up on pivotal moments like the activism of ACT UP during the AIDS crisis.
Follow educators, historians, and community leaders on social media, particularly BIPOC and trans voices.
💙 Listen to Calm Conversations: Pride and Resilience with Raymond Braun to educate yourself this Pride Month.
3. Host or join a community conversation
One of the most powerful ways to celebrate Pride is by making space for people to talk. Consider hosting a book club or just gathering a few friends to reflect on what Pride means to each of you.
A safe space and open minds can lead to deeper understanding and solidarity.
What you can do:
Suggest a panel, lunch and learn, or Pride storytelling event for your workplace.
Host a reflection circle and offer space for silence, laughter or tears.
Ask open-ended questions like: “What does Pride mean to you?” or, “When have you felt most affirmed in your identity?”
4. Practice self-acceptance and rest, especially if you’re queer
Pride can be beautiful, but also exhausting. If you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community—especially if you’re navigating trauma, rejection, or burnout—your celebration might look like survival. That’s valid.
What you can do:
Set boundaries around your energy and exposure. You don’t have to go to every event.
Use this month to journal, rest, or connect with parts of yourself you’ve been neglecting.
Listen to calming meditations or stories created for queer listeners.
Celebrate with chosen family or people who affirm your full self.
💙 Listen to Come to Center with Jeff Warren if you want to relax and be more present this month.
5. Celebrate queer joy out loud
Pride is about joy in identity, in community, and in being fully seen. There’s power in glitter, dance, art, color, music, and fashion.
What you can do:
Dress up however feels good — wear rainbow socks, glitter eyeliner, or your best gender euphoria outfit.
Dance it out at a Pride event or in your living room to your favorite queer playlist.
Make some colorful art with affirming messages.
Read more: How to use meditation to create happiness: 7 tips to boost joy
6. Revisit your media diet
Representation shapes culture, and too often, queer and trans people are left out or reduced to stereotypes. Pride Month is a good time to look at what you’re consuming, and ask who’s being centered.
What you can do:
Follow LGBTQIA+ voices on social platforms and engage with their content respectfully.
Choose queer-led books, movies, and shows and support them with your viewership, shares, and dollars.
Recommend queer stories to your broader community. Normalize them as part of everyday life and not niche content.
7. Check in with your language
Words carry weight, and can affirm identity or shut it down. Even small changes in how we speak and write can make a big impact on how included others feel.
What you can do:
Add your pronouns to your email signature.
Practice using inclusive language like “they,” “partner,” or “everyone” instead of gendered terms.
Pause before assuming someone’s identity, and remain open to correction.
When you misstep, own it. Apologize, adjust, and then keep learning.
8. Show up and speak up
Support means being there when it’s inconvenient and uncomfortable. It isn’t seasonal, and the most powerful form of celebration is being there when it’s least expected.
What you can do:
Call out homophobia, transphobia, or exclusion when you see it.
Advocate for inclusive policies at work. Ask about gender-neutral bathrooms, pronoun options in systems, or inclusive family leave.
Volunteer or donate to organizations that serve LGBTQIA+ youth, especially in areas where resources are scarce.
Sign petitions, vote for inclusive candidates, and keep pressure on lawmakers when queer and trans rights are under attack.
Read more: How to be more assertive in your life (and why it's important)
9. Make it a year-round mindset
True celebration means integrating what you learn and who you support not just in June, but all year long.
What you can do:
Keep reading, donating, and supporting after June ends.
Reflect on your own biases and unpack what you’ve inherited.
Normalize pronouns, gender-neutral language, and inclusive representation in your everyday conversations and planning.
10. Keep learning and supporting
The most meaningful celebrations don’t end with a parade in June. They continue, every day, in the choices we make, the media we consume, and the voices we amplify.
Trusted resources to explore or support:
The Trevor Project: Crisis support for LGBTQIA+ youth
Trans Lifeline: Peer support and resources for trans people
GLAAD: LGBTQIA+ media accountability and education
What month is pride month FAQs
What month is Pride Month?
Pride Month is celebrated every year in June, primarily in honor of the Stonewall Uprising, which began in late June 1969. It’s a time to recognize the LGBTQIA+ community’s history, contributions, and ongoing fight for equal rights.
Even though Pride month is in June, it’s important to honor and support LGBTQIA+ people all year long.
Is Pride Month celebrated worldwide?
Pride month is celebrated across the globe. While many countries, including the U.S., Canada, the UK, and parts of Europe, celebrate Pride in June, others host their events at different times.
In Australia, Pride happens in February, while the Netherlands usually celebrate in August. But no matter when it happens, the purpose remains the same — visibility, celebration, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ lives.
What’s the meaning behind the rainbow flag?
The rainbow flag is a powerful symbol of LGBTQIA+ pride, created in 1978 by artist and activist Gilbert Baker. Each color originally represented a different aspect of queer life: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic/art, blue for serenity, and violet for spirit.
Over the years, the flag has evolved to include additional stripes representing trans people and communities of color. The flag’s purpose is to acknowledge the full spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ experience. It’s also a growing emblem of inclusion and resistance.
How can I celebrate Pride Month respectfully?
Celebrating Pride respectfully means centering the voices, needs, and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. It’s especially important to center those who have been historically marginalized within the community, like people of color, trans people, disabled queer people, and the elderly.
If you’re attending Pride events, respect people’s pronouns and boundaries, and avoid treating queer spaces as entertainment. Another way to respectfully celebrate Pride month is to educate yourself, donate to LGBTQIA+ causes, and advocate for change in your own spaces.
Can allies participate in Pride events?
Allies can definitely participate in Pride events, and they’re encouraged to. As an ally, make sure to listen more than you speak. Also, use your privilege to protect and support those who don’t have the same safety.
In general, participating as an ally is about showing up consistently and with humility. This means showing up not just during Pride Month but throughout the entire year. In short — come as you are, but with care.
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