Pride Month officially started on June 1, but what is the month supposed to commemorate and what are some big events throughout California?
Members of the LGBTQ community and allies will celebrate 30 days of Pride with nationwide events commemorating key moments in LGBTQ history. LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer and has been expanded to LGBTQIA+ to include Intersex, Asexual and other communities.
While the event that sparked the invention of Pride Month did not originate in California, big cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles were pivotal in establishing the month.
What is Pride and what does it mean for California?
What is Pride Month?
Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, according to USA TODAY.
The Stonewall Uprising were six days of civil unrest by the LGBTQ community in response to a raid conducted by police at Stonewall Inn, in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, on June 28, 1969.
While the raid was not the first time police had raided known LGBTQ establishments, the June 28 raid represented a boiling point and the following unrest sparked a fight for equal rights for members of the community across the country, according to the Library of Congress.
The first Pride marches began the following year in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago on June 28 and the tradition continues today.
Where to celebrate Pride in California?
California was the first state to officially establish June as Pride month with legislation in 2018.
Even before the establishment of the month, events such as WeHo Pride and San Francisco Pride were major events for the LGBTQ community and its allies.
Visit California has a list of Pride events happening around the state.
Here is the list of events in June:
For a full slate of events and links on where to find them, go to Visit California.
Editor’s note: Palm Springs, one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the state and arguably the country, celebrates pride in November rather than June due to its sweltering desert heat every June. Plan a trip for Nov. 6–8, 2026 if you’d like to celebrate Pride in the desert.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: What is Pride Month? Top Pride events to check out in California
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
