Title
Declaring June 2026 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, The movement for LGBTQ+ liberation has a deep and righteous history in the City of Philadelphia, helmed by revolutionary leaders who demonstrated the power of organizing alongside movements for justice to advance equity and civil rights; and
WHEREAS, On June 11, 1972, thousands of people rallied in Rittenhouse Square and marched through Center City to Independence Hall in Philadelphia’s first formal Gay Pride March amidst targeted brutality and harassment toward the LGBTQ+ community by the Philadelphia Police Department; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is home to one of the earliest annual demonstrations for LGBTQ+ rights, the Annual Reminders outside Independence Hall on July 4th from 1965 to 1969. During Philadelphia’s first Gay Pride March in June 1972, the Philadelphia Gay Pride Committee wrote that “until gay lovers can walk proudly hand in hand on the street without evoking hostile comments and harassment, we will continue to march and fight for our freedom and the freedom of our frightened brothers and sisters who are unhappily satisfied with the status quo;” and
WHEREAS, In the five decades since, Philadelphia has continued to be at the vanguard of advances in LGBTQ+ civil rights. Philadelphia activists were at the forefront of the successful campaign to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness in the 1970s, and in 1982 Philadelphia became one of the first cities in the country, and the first in the Commonwealth, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment, and public accommodations; and
WHEREAS, Michael Hinson became Philadelphia’s first mayoral-appointed liaison to LGBTQ+ communities, and his legacy includes ensuring that gender identity was protected under the City’s Fair Practices Ordinance in 2002. In 2008, Philadelphia established one of the first municipal Offices of LGBT Affairs, initially directed by the visionary leader Gloria Casarez; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community and history are directly tied to transformative LGBTQIA+ resource centers, including the William Way LGBT Center, which empowers and serves the community, the Mazzoni Center, a pioneering sexual wellness center that was among the first responders to the HIV epidemic; and the Attic Youth Center, a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ youth; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia recognizes that visibility without meaningful structural reform is not sufficient, and that until equality is fully realized for all members of the community, the fight for LGTBQ+ rights is not over; and
WHEREAS, The fight for equality for all LGBTQ+ Philadelphians is deeply connected to the fight for racial justice; and the need to stand in defense of LGBTQ+ lives remains critical, particularly in light of hateful decisions to restrict the autonomy of Trans youth around the country; and
WHEREAS, Pride is a space for righteous joy and for the LGBTQ+ community to express and explore the fullness of their identities; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of Philadelphia declares June 2026 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this Resolution shall be presented to the Philadelphia LGBTQ+ Community as evidence of the sincere respect, gratitude, and admiration of this legislative body.
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