By Brady McGill

PRIDE is BOLD. PRIDE is LOUD. PRIDE is a RIOT!

Fifty-four years ago, marginalized people, people of color, trans people, minority people, people who experienced their voices diminished, their lights dimmed, and their opportunity to thrive curtailed, took a stand. On that night on Christopher Street at the Stonewall Inn, LGBTQIA+ people fought back. Claiming this (what they would not have called it then, but we would now, having reclaimed words in the wake of this bold stand) queer space and fighting back against mistreatment and minimization. From weakness came strength. From the fires that burned on those streets that week, grew PRIDE and so many things for our community and society.

Brady McGill

In remembrance of the Stonewall Riots, other activists organized a commemoration march. This march encouraged visibility and grew into a huge crowd, reflecting a beautiful rainbow of variation. LGBTQIA+ people are everywhere and in all parts of our society.

Las Vegas PRIDE began 41 years ago on the campus of UNLV. Since then, the organization has grown considerably, as has Las Vegas. Las Vegas PRIDE still has an all-volunteer Board of Directors dedicated to serving the same principle from the original Stonewall commemoration marches. We want to bring awareness to our community’s struggles, celebrate our community’s successes, feature our community’s talent, and continue to remind society that we would rather be able to party than have to riot.

Please join us at an OFFICIAL Las Vegas PRIDE event. Las Vegas PRIDE exists because of our community’s continued help, love, and support. While our volunteers do so much work, we could not do this without the ongoing support of this community, which attends events and contributes to our charitable efforts. Furthermore, please give love and support to the wonderful partners who support us with donations and advertising partnerships to further our mission. Beware of rainbow washing (false relation to PRIDE) and question those who have no evident support for our cause.

The theme for our 41st annual Las Vegas PRIDE is “Come OUT with PRIDE.” The 2024 Las Vegas PRIDE Parade also falls on National Coming OUT Day (as well as Yom Kippur, for which we also very warmly send our love and support to those who are with us in dual celebration). We will also celebrate our first Las Vegas PRIDE Street Festival in Downtown Las Vegas!

Do not forget to register and VOTE – you can visit our voter resource page in this issue.

Happy Las Vegas PRIDE 2024!

Brady McGill
President
Las Vegas PRIDE

This article was originally published in the 2024 PRIDE Celebration issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.