Why We Celebrate Pride in June
The Historic Stonewall Inn
For the last fifty three years, June has been dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride all month long. It began with years of oppression and unrest bubbling to the surface as The Stonewall Riots started in the summer of 1969 in New York City. This pivotal event is often credited with being the catalyst for the larger gay rights movement through the 70s and into today. An extension of this movement led to the creation of Equality Utah in 2001. In the twenty one years since, Equality Utah has worked tirelessly toward their vision of a fair and just Utah. As we ring in our twenty first Pride month, we have created our own Equality Utah Guide to Pride to make sure you make the most of June.
Equality Utah’s Guide to Pride Weekend
Thursday, June 2nd
M I L K + PRIDE Disco Euphoria | $15
Kick off Pride Weekend right with the first night of the M I L K + PRIDE Disco Euphoria event line-up! Not only do all ticket sales benefit Equality Utah directly, but Salt Lakers will enjoy an incredible line-up of Queens. The main event features winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 10, AQUARIA! Grab a drink and your best Disco fit for a night you won’t want to miss. A full run down of their events for the weekend are pictured here:
Friday, June 3rd
Rainbow Rally & Glow March
Led by the Utah Pride Center, join us at the State Capital for a lineup of speakers that will help galvanize our community toward the future we deserve. Following the rally, we will step off and march downtown for recognition and equal rights for all! (P.S. There is an after-party lined up at Purgatory afterwards too!)
Saturday, June 4th
Utah Pride Festival | $15+
After a few less than normal years, the Utah Pride Festival is back and bigger than ever! Open from 1:00p – 11:00p, be sure to review the full schedule of events and start planning your fest now. Want extra credit? They still are in need of volunteer support. Head to their site for details!
Sunday, June 5th
Utah Pride Parade | Free
There are two ways to participate in this year’s Pride Parade. First, watch the parade from a longer parade route with plenty of space to sit than years prior. Second, join Equality Utah in walking in the parade! More details on how to join us can be found by emailing here.
Opportunities in Utah All Month Long
The first weekend of Pride may be where the majority of events end up, but there is room to celebrate all month long. The Utah Primary election is June 28th, take time this month to support candidates that support our vision.
After a successful vote in the Utah Primaries, stop by Blue Gene’s for a Flaming Flamingo cocktail with proceeds benefitting Equality Utah! Featuring Avuá Cachaça, Aperol, Dry Curaçao, grapefruit juice, sprite and just a hint of tabasco!
Celebrating Equality All Year Long
Billy Porter, 2019 Allies Dinner
When June comes to a close, have no fear – there are ways to support us all year. Start planning your night now for our annual Allies Gala August 27th! Sponsorship opportunities are available now, more information on how to get involved is linked here for you.
Note from The Shop – We are proud to support Equality Utah as one of our Annual MyCommunity partners and have them as members in Salt Lake City! See you around town this weekend for Pride 🏳️🌈.
Article image credit: Maddison Tenney