Pride Month is June. It runs June 1 to June 30 every year in the United States, so Pride Month 2027 starts Tuesday, June 1, and ends Wednesday, June 30. Your city’s parade is a separate date, and it can fall anywhere in the month (or outside it).
The reason is one night in Manhattan. Early on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, and the people inside fought back. Pride Month is celebrated in June “to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising,” the Library of Congress explains. The first marches came on the anniversary weekend in 1970. In major cities, that single day soon grew into a month of events.
When Is Pride Month in 2027? Dates and Related Days
Pride Month 2027 starts Tuesday, June 1, and ends Wednesday, June 30. The Stonewall anniversary, June 28, falls on a Monday. Chicago has already set its parade for Sunday, June 27, 2027, at 11 a.m. Most other cities announce dates closer to the season, so check your local organizer before you book travel.
| Date | What it marks |
|---|---|
| June 1 to 30, 2027 (Tuesday to Wednesday) | Pride Month |
| Sunday, June 27, 2027 | Chicago Pride Parade |
| Monday, June 28, 2027 | 58th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising (1969). New York’s first Pride march was held on this date in 1970. |
| October | LGBT History Month in the U.S. |
| Nov. 20 | Transgender Day of Remembrance |
| Dec. 1 | World AIDS Day |
Why Pride Month Is in June: The Stonewall Uprising
The Stonewall Inn was a Mafia-owned bar with no liquor license. Three years before the raid, on April 21, 1966, Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell and John Timmons of the Mattachine Society walked into Julius’ Bar, around the block, for a “sip-in.” They announced they were gay. The bartender covered their glasses and refused to serve them.
Then, in 1967, the courts ruled that indecent behavior had to be more than same-sex “cruising,” kissing or touching, according to the National Park Service. Gay patrons could now legally drink in bars. Getting a license for an openly gay bar stayed hard, the park service says, which is why Mafia-run places like the Stonewall Inn were still operating in 1969.
On June 24, 2016, President Barack Obama designated Stonewall National Monument. The Congressional Research Service calls it “America’s first national park site dedicated to LGBTQ history.” In February 2026, the park service took the rainbow Pride flag down from the monument’s flagpole. Federal agencies later said in a joint court filing that they intend to keep a Pride flag flying there, The Associated Press reported.
The First Pride Marches: Chicago and New York, June 1970
Chicago marched first. Its march stepped off on Saturday, June 27, 1970, “a day before similar events in New York City and Los Angeles,” according to PRIDEChicago. New York’s Christopher Street Liberation Day march followed on Sunday, June 28, the uprising’s first anniversary. Activist Brenda Howard, working with a committee, organized that march and the first Gay Pride Week around it, NYU Libraries’ Pride guide notes.
The June date stuck. On June 25, 1978, Gilbert Baker’s first rainbow flags flew for San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day parade. Harvey Milk had urged him to make one. Baker and a team of volunteers hand-dyed strips of fabric in trash cans, then stitched together two giant flags, according to the National Archives. The rainbow now anchors a whole family of Pride flags.
Presidential Pride Proclamations From Clinton to Trump
Bill Clinton issued the first presidential Pride proclamation in 1999, almost three decades after the first marches. Every one since has come from a Democratic president. Republican presidents, “including Trump, have not,” The Associated Press noted at the start of Pride Month 2026. Here are the milestones, drawn from the Congressional Research Service’s Pride fact sheet and the proclamations themselves.
| Year | President | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Bill Clinton | Proclamation 7203, issued June 11: “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” |
| 2009 | Barack Obama | Proclamation 8387, issued June 1: “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month” |
| 2024 | Joe Biden | Proclamation 10767, issued May 31: “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month” |
| 2025 | Donald Trump | The White House said June 3 that no Pride proclamation was planned. |
| 2026 | Donald Trump | No Pride proclamation was issued. |
Does Pride Month Depend on a Presidential Proclamation?
No. On June 3, 2025, a reporter asked whether President Donald Trump planned a proclamation. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt answered, “There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June,” according to the briefing transcript. A year later, The Washington Times reported that “President Trump has not issued Pride Month proclamations,” The same report said the Education Department was marking June as Title IX Month for a second year, and several red states gave June other names.
None of that moves the calendar. People marched for nearly three decades before Clinton signed the first proclamation. Pride Month 2027 will run June 1 to 30 whether or not the White House says a word. Your local Pride organization sets its own events.
Ways to Celebrate Pride Beyond the Parade
- Learn the codes. Brush up on gay symbols through history, from the pink triangle to the lambda, before you make a sign.
- Learn the history. Watch the Library of Congress film above, then read about Marsha P. Johnson and STAR.
- Support local groups. Pick a local LGBTQ+ center, clinic or youth program, then give, volunteer or march with them. Many need volunteers months before June.
You’ll find more queer history and culture in Gayety’s culture coverage.
Pride Month FAQ: June Dates, Stonewall and Proclamations
What month is Pride Month?
June. It runs from June 1 through June 30 every year in the United States, and the month doesn’t change.
Why is Pride Month in June?
June honors the Stonewall uprising. Police raided the Stonewall Inn early on June 28, 1969, and the people inside fought back. Marches a year later marked the anniversary.
When did Pride Month become official?
President Bill Clinton issued the first presidential Pride proclamation on June 11, 1999, recognizing June as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.”
Is Pride Month a federal holiday?
No. Pride is an observance and doesn’t close government offices or banks. Juneteenth is the June federal holiday. In 2027, June 19 falls on a Saturday, so most federal workers get Friday, June 18, off, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
When is Pride Month 2027?
Tuesday, June 1, to Wednesday, June 30, 2027. Local parades and festivals set their own dates. Chicago’s parade is Sunday, June 27, 2027.
Did Trump issue a Pride Month proclamation?
No. In June 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there were no plans for one, and none was issued in 2026 either. Community Pride events went ahead without it.
