ALEXANDRIA KICKS OFF PRIDE MONTH WITH ITS SIXTH ANNUAL PRIDE FAIR
June 28, 2023: The Alexandria LGBTQ Task Force kicked off Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month by hosting its annual Pride Month Fair for the sixth year on June 3, 2023.
It was a momentous event with activities for all ages and interests. The robust lineup included Drag Queen Story Hour, Spoken Word, and Improv inside City Hall, along with health testing and vaccinations. Outside the building, celebrators enjoyed a DJ’s spinning tunes, a face painter, food trucks, the Mobile Art Lab with a letter-writing activity, a photo station, a reading of the Pride Month Proclamation, and plenty of joyful Alexandrians.
The Fair included more than 40 exhibitors and Community Partners who promoted their services, gave away fun swag, and celebrated the City’s diverse LGBTQ+ community and its supporters. Community Partners who participated included the Alexandria Fire Department and other City of Alexandria departments, faith-based organizations, health care providers, legal services providers, local retailers, and more. For a list of Community Partners, visit the LGBTQ Community, Task Force and Resources page at https://www.alexandriava.gov/LGBTQ.
The City of Alexandria offers a host of resources for the LGBTQ+ community. The City’s LGBTQ+ webpage can be found at https://www.alexandriava.gov/LGBTQ, and includes education, safety, and health resources for adults, older adults, youth, and parents. It also includes a Domestic Violence, LGBTQ & Sexual Assault section for resources to help victims of violence and abuse within the LGBTQ+ community and any Alexandrian who needs it.
Since 1970, the month has been celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which precipitated the first major demonstrations for LGBTQ+ rights in America. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and bar patrons fought back. This resistance is now viewed by many as the beginning of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States.
