June is Pride Month, commemorating the Stonewall uprising in Manhattan, which began on June 28, 1969. The Stonewall uprising is considered “a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States,” according to the Library of Congress.
The month recognizes the impact lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have had on history — locally, nationally and internationally.
To understand Stonewall — why it happened and what it means in historical context — it helps to understand what life was like for LGBTQ people at the time.
In 1969, consensual same-sex conduct was still criminalized under New York law, and in practice, being known or perceived as gay could make someone a target for discrimination, police attention or arrest. State Liquor Authority regulations were also used to deny service to gay people in bars. SLA regulations prohibited “disorderly conduct” on licensed premises, and licensed bars could face penalties, including possible license revocation, for violations. The SLA and state courts treated the presence of known or suspected gay people as “disorderly,” allowing establishments to refuse service.
As a result, many gay bars operated without liquor licenses, making them frequent targets for police raids and arrests.
One of the best-known challenges to that system took place three years before Stonewall at Julius’, a West Village bar that is now recognized as one of New York’s oldest gay bars.
In 1966, members of the Mattachine Society, an early gay rights organization, held a “sip-in” at Julius’, modeled after civil rights sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the South. The activists entered the bar, identified themselves as homosexuals and asked to be served a drink, according to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. They were refused service.
The action became one of the earliest known acts of civil disobedience against anti-gay discrimination in New York. The New York Times covered the incident in an article that referred to the protesters as “sexual deviates.”
Three years later, a police raid at the Stonewall Inn sparked six days of protests and clashes between police and LGBTQ residents and supporters. Stonewall was not the first rebellion against police harassment and discrimination targeting LGBTQ communities in the United States, but it became a turning point in how LGBTQ activism was seen, organized and discussed.
In 1970, the first Gay Pride March was held in Manhattan by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Stonewall. Pride Month did not become official until 1999, when President Bill Clinton issued a proclamation recognizing June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
The LGBTQ civil rights movement made historic gains in the decades after Stonewall, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry under the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.
But LGBTQ rights remain the subject of ongoing political and legal battles today, including disputes over health care protections, adoption and foster care rules, school policies, access to gender-affirming care and military service by transgender people.
Despite those headwinds, Pride Month celebrations continue around the world each June.
Here’s a rundown of Pride Month events in the local region:
June 5: North Fork Women will host its June First Friday Friends gathering Friday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Harbor Brewery, 42155 Main Road in Peconic. The casual social gathering will include open-air seating, lawn games and small bites provided by North Fork Women. Attendees may purchase additional food and drinks at the venue.
June 6: The fifth annual Hamptons Pride Parade kicks off Saturday at noon along Main Street in East Hampton. An afternoon of family fun, dancing and live musical performances will follow in Herrick Park.
June 8: North Fork Women will host its Pride Golf 2026 fundraiser Monday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Island’s End Golf Club, 5025 Main Road in Greenport. Golf play is sold out, according to the organization, but sponsorships and donations are still being accepted.
June 14: The Long Island Pride parade, concert and festival begins with the parade at noon in Huntington Village, stepping off at the intersection of Main Street and Clinton Avenue and ending at the entrance to Heckscher Park. The celebration continues in the park with live performances, vendors and more.
June 20: THRIVE East End will host a free Celebration of Pride Saturday, June 20 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at 680 Elton St. in Riverhead. The event, hosted by THRIVE East End and HUGS Inc., will include Pride music, karaoke and Just Dance.
June 27: The fourth annual North Fork Pride parade and festival returns to Greenport, capping a month of Pride events and gatherings on Long Island. The LGBT Network will host North Fork Pride from noon to 5 p.m. The parade is scheduled to step off at noon, with participants marching through the village along Main and Front streets. The festival will take place in Mitchell Park and surrounding areas.
June 28: The regional “grand finale” of Pride Month each year is the NYC Pride Parade, which traditionally takes place on the last Sunday of June. The NYC parade is one of the largest and oldest LGBTQ+ demonstrations in the world, drawing millions of spectators to the event is free to attend and draws millions of spectators to Manhattan. The march begins in at 26th Street and Fifth Avenue and moves downtown on Fifth Avenue, past the historic Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, and disperses near 15th Street and Seventh Avenue. More information about the parade and related events that day is available on the NYC Pride website.
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