Proud of Pride events

June is Pride Month, when the world recognizes and celebrates all genders for being themselves — whoever that may be — and the LGBTQ community around the globe revels in the fact that it has finally found the freedom to be itself, 53 years after the 1969 Stonewall Riots in NYC, also in June.

Not only is Pride Month a celebratory affair, it’s a month of action, to raise political awareness, peaceful protest, social engagement, educational interest and basically get people — whether gay or straight — talking about issues facing the LGBTQ community.

New York, of course, is known for its over-the-top Pride Parade in Manhattan, as it’s one of the most famous and largest in the world, with half-a-million participants having taken part by the parade’s 25th anniversary in 1995.

Things definitely changed after that infamous day when police raided a gay bar on Christopher Street in NYC back on June 28, 1969, patronized by many gay, lesbian and trans customers. That bar was the Stonewall Inn. The riots that ensued and violence that spread through Greenwich Village during the next few days showed that the LGBTQ community would no longer take being bullied, harassed and intimidated. When it decided to stand up for its rights a new day had dawned.

By the following year, gay rights activists were marching in the streets to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in Central Park. It was the very first LGBT Pride Parade — the birth of a movement that has now taken hold across the globe, in every country, in every state, in towns large and small.

Things are by no means perfect, but there has been much progress. As of 2015, same-sex marriage became federally legal in all 50 states thanks to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. There are now rights protecting people who are transgender in the workplace. In 2010, the ban on openly gay, lesbian and bisexual U.S. military personnel was ruled unconstitutional by two federal courts. These are but a few examples.

Locally, right here in the Harlem Valley, we are seeing more communities openly welcome and celebrate their LGBTQ residents.

The town of Stanford just had a fabulously successful inaugural Pride Day on Saturday, June 4, starting at 12:30 p.m., with a reading of a proclamation at its Town Hall. From there folks headed in a caravan of cars bedecked with rainbow flags to Bangallworks to hear live music and enjoy some tasty barbecue, and to chat with friends old and new. The day lasted until 4 p.m., and with lovely weather everyone was able to enjoy being outside.

In neighboring Millbrook, on Sunday, June 18, the community will play host to another Pride event. The first Millbrook Pride Social took place on a Saturday back on June 24, 2017, at the former Aurelia’s on Franklin Avenue, according to one of its organizers, Eric Salas.

Salas said that now that the two-year-old-plus coronavirus pandemic is hopefully starting to wane, Millbrook Pride is “thrilled” to plan for a Pride Picnic Social at Millbrook Vineyards and Winery.

It’s been five years since that original Millbrook Pride event, and we are so pleased to see the group pick up where it started. The picnic at Millbrook Winery will be on the 18th, from 1 to 4 p.m. Salas stressed that “all are welcome” as Millbrook Pride seeks to “build community, diversity and most importantly an awareness of the growing LGBTQ+ presence in Dutchess County.”

For more information, go to @millbrookpride on Instagram.

Also in the Harlem Valley, the town of Pine Plains is very much looking forward to hosting its very first-ever Pride event on the last weekend of the month, on Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26.

The festivities will include a Pride Kickoff Dinner at 5:30 p.m. at Lia’s Mountain View Restaurant on the 25th.

Then, on the 26th, there will be a Pride Service & Coffee Hour at 10 a.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Regeneration; a Sidewalk Pride Celebration from noon to 3 p.m., to celebrate with local businesses along Church Street will follow; a Local Produce Play Reading of “Ex-Gay Bar,” by David Simpactico will take place at 3 p.m. at The Stissing Center; and a Community Pride Celebration will start at 5 p.m. at the Back Bar Beer Garden.

For more details about the Pine Plains Pride Celebration, email PinePlainsPride@gmail.com or go on Instagram and follow @PinePlainsPride.

We encourage as many of our readers to stop by these celebrations and contribute to the positive energy. For those who might think it’s not their cup of tea, why not step outside of your comfort zone?

Consider talking to those in the LGBTQ community — they’re your neighbors, after all — it might be useful to learn about their experiences and see what types of things the LGBTQ community has to struggle with on a daily basis. It’s always good to broaden one’s horizons. You might even walk away with some new friends.

This Editorial has been corrected to note that June, not May, is Pride Month and that the Stonewall Riots took place in June, 1969.