Rhode Island Pride

Last updated
Rhode Island Pride
FormationEstablished 1976
TypeLGBT Organization
Location
  • 1055 Westminster St, Providence, RI 02903
Website https://www.prideri.org/

Rhode Island Pride is an LGBT organization that serves the Rhode Island LGBTQ community, [1] most notably holding its annual PrideFest in June. The organization traces its roots to the 1976 march, [2] in which 75 individuals protested the city's refusal of a permit to host an official march. [3] Today, Rhode Island Pride is one of the largest and most active LGBTQ organizations in Rhode Island, hosting community events and offering resources to Rhode Island's LGBTQ population. [1]

Contents

Rhode Island Pride's PrideFest is the organization's largest initiative, attracting more than a hundred thousand people to Providence, RI every June for festivities including a marketplace, a block party, and a parade, among other events. [2] PrideFest's premiere event is its Illuminated Night Pride Parade, a pride parade held on the Saturday evening of PrideFest. [2]

History

In 1976, lesbian and gay Rhode Islanders organized their first pride march with about 75 people in attendance. [3] Called the "76ers," these individuals marched through downtown Providence despite state and city leaders attempting to block the parade. [4] However, organizers litigated for legal permission to march. [5] [6] This event marked an important step in formal organizing for LGBTQ rights in Rhode Island, establishing the foundation for the group that would become Rhode Island Pride. In the next four decades, participation grew annually from just under 100 in 1976 to over 60,000 at RI PrideFest in 2019. In RI, early gay pride celebrations were some of the first steps that eventually led to civil rights protections being extended to gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals in 1995, [7] and to transgender individuals in 2001. [8]

In the 1980s, the previous loosely organized, grassroots marches became more organized and yet less radical parades. Under pressure from conservative community members, the marches dropped "Liberation" and "Freedom" from their names, replacing them with the philosophy of "Gay Pride." [6]  However, the Greek lambda symbol and the pink triangle, which had been revolutionary symbols of the Gay Liberation Movement, were incorporated into the Gay Pride, or Pride, movement, providing some symbolic continuity with its more radical beginnings.

In 1997, the very first rainbow flag was flown over a government building in the state of RI. [9] Soon after, in 2001, the Illuminated Night Parade that transformed the Pride celebration was launched. [2]

PrideFest

PrideFest is an annual LGBT pride celebration, coinciding with Pride Month. The current iteration consists of several events held during a designated weekend in mid-June. In 2019, the Saturday of PrideFest included the Hasbro Kids Zone, food trucks, and live entertainment during the day, followed by the Illuminated Night Pride Parade in the evening. [10] The following Sunday featured a drag brunch. [11]

The Illuminated Pride Parade is PrideFest's largest event, attracting over 100,000 attendees in 2019, [11] exceeding the expectations of 60,000 attendees. [10] After being introduced in 2001, the parade dramatically boosted the attendance and community involvement in PrideFest. [2]

In 2018, PrideFest led to Providence being listed as one of the "World's Best Destinations for LGBT Pride Celebrations" by National Geographic. [12]

Organization

Rhode Island Pride is a 501(c)3 organization consisting of various committees, volunteers, and a board of directors. [13] The organization hosts year-round events and programs for the Rhode Island community, including the Rhode Island Pride Honors Gala [14] and the Rhode Island Pride Pageant. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Pride</span> Annual LGBTQ+ event in San Francisco, California

The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, usually known as San Francisco Pride, is a pride parade and festival held at the end of June most years in San Francisco, California, to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PrideFest (Denver)</span> Gay pride event in Denver, Colorado

PrideFest is an annual gay pride event held each June in Denver, honoring the culture and heritage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the State of Colorado. The first "Pride" event in Denver, known as Gay Pride Week, took place June, 1974 and included a "gay-in" in Cheesman Park attended by about fifty people. The first Gay Pride Parade took place in 1975 with approximately 200 people marching along sidewalks to the Civic Center Park unaware that they needed a permit. The first event resembling the present day Denver PrideFest occurred in 1976, the same year the local community center, now known as the Center on Colfax, was founded. The Center organizes and produces the festival and parade each year. The event currently consists of a two-day festival at Civic Center Park, the Pride 5K, and culminates with a parade along Colfax Avenue. Denver PrideFest now draws 525,000 guests annually, making it the third largest pride festival and seventh largest pride parade in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Pride Parade</span> Annual LGBT event in Chicago

The Chicago Pride Parade, also colloquially called the Chicago Gay Pride Parade or PRIDE Chicago, is an annual pride parade held on the last Sunday of June in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is considered a culmination of the larger Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in Chicago, as promulgated by the Chicago City Council and Mayor of Chicago. Chicago's Pride Parade is one of the largest by attendance in the world. The event takes place outside and celebrates equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, which is also known as the celebration of LGBTQ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Pride</span> One of the worlds largest LGBTQ events

The LA Pride Festival & Parade, commonly known as LA Pride, is an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest LGBTQ Pride events in the world, traditionally held on the second weekend of June, and produced by the Christopher Street West Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NYC Pride March</span> Event celebrating the LGBTQ community

The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ community in New York City. The largest pride parade and the largest pride event in the world, the NYC Pride March attracts tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each June, and carries spiritual and historical significance for the worldwide LGBTQIA+ community and its advocates. Entertainer Madonna stated in 2024, "Aside from my birthday, New York Pride is the most important day of the year." The route through Lower Manhattan traverses south on Fifth Avenue, through Greenwich Village, passing the Stonewall National Monument, site of the June 1969 riots that launched the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT pride</span> Positive stance toward LGBT people

LGBT pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Pride</span> Annual LGBTQ+ event in Dublin, Ireland

The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culminates in a pride parade which is held annually on the last Saturday in June. The event has grown from a one-day event in 1974 to a ten-day festival celebrating LGBT culture in Ireland with an expanded arts, social and cultural content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis PrideFest</span> Annual event in Missouri

PrideFest St. Louis is an annual LGBT pride event in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is organized by Pride St. Louis, an LGBT non-profit organization in the Greater St. Louis area. Between 350,000-500,000 people attend the two day festival and grand parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Seattle, Washington

Seattle Pride refers to a series of events which are held annually throughout the month of June to celebrate LGBT Pride in Seattle, Washington. Seattle Pride also refers to the nonprofit organization Seattle Out and Proud which coordinates and promotes LGBTQIA+ events and programs in Seattle year-round including the Seattle Pride Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Pride Celebration, also known as Christopher Street Day Berlin, or CSD Berlin, is a pride parade and festival held in the second half of July each year in Berlin, Germany to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their allies. Since 1979, the event has been held each year. Berlin Pride is one of the largest gay and lesbian organized events in Germany and one of the biggest in Europe. Its aim is to demonstrate for equal rights and equal treatment for LGBT people, as well as celebrate the pride in Gay and Lesbian Culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in San Diego, California

San Diego Pride is a nonprofit organization based in San Diego, California. The organization operates various year-round programs, including an annual weeklong celebration every July, focusing on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The event features a Pride Parade on a Saturday, preceded by a block party and rally in the Hillcrest neighborhood the night before, and followed by a two-day Pride Festival on Saturday and Sunday in Balboa Park. Pride week is believed to be the largest annual civic event in the city of San Diego. The parade has more than 300 floats and entries, and is viewed by a crowd of over 250,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Pride</span> Festival and celebration in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival is a week-long celebration of the city's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other identities ([LGBTQ+]) community. The festivities are typically held annually at the end of June but have happened as early as April and as late as July in various locations of Cincinnati, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pride parades in South Africa</span>

There have been pride parades in South Africa celebrating LGBT pride since 1990. South African pride parades were historically used for political advocacy protesting against legal discrimination against LGBT people, and for the celebration of equality before the law after the apartheid era. They are increasingly used for political advocacy against LGBT hate crimes, such as the so-called corrective rape of lesbians in townships, and to remember victims thereof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in New York City</span>

New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Cities Pride</span>

Twin Cities Pride, sometimes Twin Cities LGBT Pride, is an American nonprofit organization in Minnesota that hosts an annual celebration each June that focuses on the LGBT community. The celebration features a pride parade which draws crowds of nearly 600,000 people. The parade was designated the Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade in honor of the late former parade organizer and transgender LGBT rights activist. Other Twin Cities Pride events include a festival in Loring Park and a block party spanning multiple days.

Austin, Texas, has one of the most prominent and active LGBT populations in the United States. Austin was acclaimed by The Advocate in 2012 as part of its Gayest Cities in America, and was recognized by Travel and Leisure as one of America's Best Cities for Gay Travel. Much of Austin's gay nightlife scene is clustered around 4th Street. LGBT activism groups Atticus Circle and Equality Texas are headquartered in Austin.

Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 was a series of LGBTQ events and celebrations in June 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was also the first time WorldPride was held in the United States. Held primarily in the metropolitan New York City area, the theme for the celebrations and educational events was "Millions of moments of Pride." The celebration was the largest LGBTQ event in history, with an official estimate of five million attending Pride weekend in Manhattan alone, including an estimated four million in attendance at the parade. The twelve-hour parade included 150,000 pre-registered participants among 695 groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Washington, D.C.</span>

In Washington, D.C., LGBT culture is heavily influenced by the U.S. federal government and the many nonprofit organizations headquartered in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayoral elections in Providence, Rhode Island</span>

Elections are held in Providence, Rhode Island to elect the city's mayor. Such elections are regularly scheduled to be held in United States midterm election years.

The state of Rhode Island, in the Northeast United States, has recorded LGBT history and individuals reaching back to the early 20th century. Prior to the 20th century, the state was also home to the Public Universal Friend and Charley Parkhurst, both well-known individuals with ambiguous gender identities. In 1995, the state became the ninth in the country to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2013, it became the tenth state to allow same-sex marriage.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rhode Island PrideFest and New England's Only Illuminated Night Parade". The Bay. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "How Rhode Island Pride's Famous Night Parade Almost Never Happened". www.advocate.com. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  3. 1 2 Tempera, Jacqueline. "In Providence 40 years ago, 'pure terror' marked 1st gay pride parade". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  4. ↑ Crowley, Cathleen (June 20, 2004). "Gays who marched in 1976 remember the hate and the fear". Providence Journal.
  5. ↑ "State to permit 'gay' fete June 26". Providence Journal. June 10, 1976.
  6. 1 2 Sutton, William (June 26, 1976). "Building use by homosexual group ordered". Providence Journal.
  7. ↑ STAFF, JOURNAL. "TIMELINE: Gay and lesbian history in Rhode Island, and nationally". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  8. ↑ "The State of LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Protections in Rhode Island". Freedom for All Americans. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  9. ↑ Mooney, Tom. "Thousands attend 43rd annual rainbow-flag-draped celebration in Providence | Videos". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  10. 1 2 "Rhode Island PrideFest 2019". www.visitrhodeisland.com. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  11. 1 2 "Rhode Island Pride breaks attendance records". www.abc6.com. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  12. ↑ "World's Best Destinations for LGBT Pride Celebrations". Travel. 2018-06-09. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  13. ↑ "Rhode Island Pride - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  14. ↑ "RI Pride to Honor Supporters at Annual Gala". options. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  15. ↑ "Rhode Island Pride Crowns New Titleholders – Adds Unprecedented New Titles!". www.goprovidence.com. 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.