It’s Pride Month. Check out the events you can go to in South Florida
Every June, Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which marked a turning point for the gay rights movement. Pride Month begins on Wednesday, and South Floridians looking to celebrate will have plenty of opportunities throughout the month.
On June 28, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn; the Greenwich Village gay club was one of several across the city at a time when gays were often kicked out of regular night spots. Armed with a warrant and the power of the state, cops confiscated 28 cases of beer and 19 bottles of liquor from the establishment, and arrested 13 people, according to news clips of the time.
But instead of dealing with passive patrons, police faced a bloc of gay and transgender people who fought back — not only against police harassment, but also against laws that criminalized homosexuality. Police had not encountered that kind of active resistance before during their raids on gay establishments. The rebellion led to six days of protests and clashes outside the bar. .
A year later, up to 5,000 people marched in the first Pride march held in New York City, according to the Library of Congress.
And after decades of hard-fought battles in and outside the courts, many laws that discriminated against the LGBTQ+ community were repealed or became unenforceable.
READ MORE: It’s Pride Month. Our strength is in our individual stories. Don’t be silenced | Opinion
Now, millions across the country honor Pride Month with festivals, parades and conversations to remember the brave people of Stonewall and the battles that are yet to be fought.
READ MORE: ‘Still work to be done.’ Key West’s Pride has the parties, but also another purpose
If you are looking to celebrate Pride Month in South Florida, here’s a list of events you can attend.
Miami-Dade County
- June 4: Second annual Pride Month kickoff with drag show and DJ from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Dr. Paul Vogel Community Park, 7920 West Dr., North Bay Village. Free admission. Find more information at northbayvillage-fl.gov.
- June 4: Coming Together for Our Community, a panel discussion about how LGBTQ rights contribute to a stronger, sustainable community, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Miami-Dade’s Main Library, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami. Ages 13 and up. For more information, visit mdpls.org/events.
- June 4: MOCA miniMakers: Pride Month, an opportunity for kids to create their own rainbow book, is from 2 to 4 p.m. at Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami. Children ages 6 and up. Admission is free. For more information, visit mocanomi.org.
- June 5: Reading of “Rainbow: A First Book of Pride,” which explains the meaning of the rainbow pride flag colors, runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Museum of Contemporary Art - North Miami, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami. It will include a DYI early childhood art project. Admission is free. For more information, visit mocanomi.org.
- June 5: Punk Pride, a punk festival of queer bands, starting at 9 p.m. at 255 NE 166th St., North Miami-Dade. Admission is $10 online, $15 at the door. Ages 16 and up.
- June 8: Virtual Author Series with Dr. Bambi Lobdell, author of the book “A Strange Sort of Being: The Transgender Life of Lucy Ann / Joseph Israel Lobdell, 1829-1912,” will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Miami Springs library, 401 Westward Dr. As a scholar and descendant of Lucy/Joseph’s, Lobdell “offers a unique perspective on the first documented transgender case in the United States.” Space is limited for this online event, and registration is required. Ages 19 and up. To register, visit mdpls.org/event/6004604.
- June 8: Vizcaya Late - Pride Edition with local musicians and a Pride parade starting at 6 p.m. at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, 3251 S. Miami Ave., Miami. Parade begins at 8 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for children ages 5 and under. Buy tickets at vizcaya.org/event/pride.
- June 10-12: Wynwood Pride Music Festival with performers such as Marina and Azealia Banks at RC Cola Plant, 550 NW 24th St., Miami. Tickets start at $28.80. Find more information at wynwoodpride.com.
- June 18: Miami Sound Space, an adult community choir whose membership includes many queer and trans people, will perform from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coral Reef Library, 9211 SW 152nd St., Palmetto Bay. For more information, visit mdpls.org/events.
- June 25: Voices from Florida: Celebrating LGBTQ Pride, featuring authors Julio Capo and T. Deutch and a performance by the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus, is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Miami Beach Regional library, 227 22nd St. For more information, visit mdpls.org/events.
- June 29: Under the Electric Tree, where collected oral histories and elder stories of first prides will become an interactive soundscape for dancers, starts at 7:30 p.m. at Griffing Park, 12220 Griffing Blvd., North Miami. Admission is free. For more information, visit mocanomi.org.
- June 30: A History of Gay Pride, a lunch where people can share their first Pride story and bring any mementos from the early years of the fight after the Stonewall riots in 1969, from Noon to 2 p.m. at YES Institute, 5275 Sunset Dr., Miami. Donations are encouraged. Register if you want to eat.
Broward County
June 10: Summer Nights - Oakland Park Pride, an event with live music by CK Band, interactive games, a children’s activity area, food trucks and cash bars, is from 6 to 10 p.m. at Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park. Admission is free. For more information, call 954-630-4500 or visit bit.ly/OPSummerNights.
June 11: Pride Health Awareness Day, which includes mental wellness sessions, yoga, vision screens and other health screenings, runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Nova Southeastern University, Carl DeSantis Building, 3301 College Ave., Davie. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Admission is free.
June 11: The Pride Pump Games, an LGBTQ+ fitness competition to raise funds for The OUT Foundation of South Florida and TransSocial of Miami, will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at CrossFit So Flow, 3901 NE Fifth Ter., Suite 1, Oakland Park. Registration is $30.
June 12: The 2022 Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival runs from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. The parade starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $7. For more information, visit stonewallpride.lgbt.
June 18: Pandora Pride with Dj Zehno, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Kubs, 1414 NE 26th St., Wilton Manors. Admission is $15.
- June 25: Fourth Annual Family Pride Day is an event filled with colorful fun and educational activities. They range from a rainbow science lab to storytime with a drag queen. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is $5 for nonmembers but free at the box office for members and city of Fort Lauderdale residents with proof of address. Find more information at mods.org.
Palm Beach County
- June 1: Pride Lights marks the beginning of Pride Month by lighting up the Centennial Fountain at 8 p.m. in Nancy Graham Centennial Park, 50 N Clematis St., West Palm Beach. The celebration begins with a musical performance featuring cabaret stars Rob Russell and Avery Sommers, plus musical ensembles from both the Palm Beach Symphony and Young Singers of the Palm Beaches. Admission is free.
- June 4: The second annual Pride Pool Party is from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Barracuda Bay Aquatic Complex, 1621 W. Blue Heron Blvd., Riviera Beach. This is a 21-and-older event. Admission is $30.
- June 4: Pride on the Block, an annual block party to celebrate Pride Month and raise funds for the local LGBTQ+ nonprofit Transpire Help, will be held from 1 p.m. to 12 a.m. on the 500 block of Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. It includes live music, drag shows, youth activities and arts and crafts. The after party is from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. For more information, visit prideontheblock.com.
- June 9 and 10: Watch “Keith Haring: Street Art Boy!,” a film about Keith Haring, who devoted his career in New York during the 1980s to create public art and advocate social change — highlighting the threats of violence, sexual exploitation and political oppression. Both showings are at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. The June 9 showing is from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the June 10 showing is from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is from $5 to $15. For more information, visit bocamuseum.org.
- June 12: Throw Social Drag Brunch, where five “flocking fabulous queens take to the stage to perform in this sassy, extravagant, fantabulous event,” starts at 12 p.m. at THRōW Social, 29 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach. Admission is from $25 to $240. For more information, visit throwsocial.com/promos-delray.
- June 25: The Compass’ Stonewall Ball is from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach. The evening promises “delicious food and drinks, a fabulous silent auction, live entertainment and an awards ceremony. This year’s theme is electric disco. Tickets for the dance party, which starts at 9 p.m., are $45 each. For more information, visit compassglcc.com.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
