Indy's Pride parade and festival is Saturday, June 8

June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community.

Jose Castillo Jimenez, vice president of Indy Pride's board of directors, says festivities kicked off in mid-May with their launch party and pageant, and will continue into June.

"If it's deaf pride, if it's API pride, Latinx pride, Indiana pride or color pride, there's a pride for everyone throughout this whole month. But obviously our biggest events are the parade and the festival that are on June 8," Jimenez said.

Indy Pride's history can be traced back to the early 1980's, according to the organization. Jimenez said it continues to host events meant to make people feel safe and happy, but that it’s not just about events.

“I think it's events, it's education, it's resources, right, but also partnering with the community and with organizations that are doing the work that's already been done,” he said.

Pride Month itself grew out of the Stonewall riots in 1969 New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a local bar in Greenwich Village frequented by members of the LGBTQ+ community. When police raided the bar one night to extort the establishment, patrons began to rally. The police called for reinforcements and ended the protests.

The riots fueled a movement that grew into the first LGBTQ+ Pride parade in NYC one year later, and continues to this day with parades and festivals all over the country.

This year’s Indy Pride parade is Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to noon, with the festival continuing until 10 p.m. at Military Park in Downtown Indianapolis.

Contact WFYI digital producer and reporter Zach Bundy at zbundy@wfyi.org.