By: Kate Sinodis and Rose Andrews

June marks the beginning of pride month, where members of the LGBTQIA+ community can celebrate their sexuality and gender and remember those who fought for equality before them.

Pride month has been a way not only to celebrate, but also to remember the Stonewall Riots which occurred in June of 1969. The Stonewall Riots happened in New York City, and started after the raid of a gay bar. The patrons that escaped arrest began protesting the police and the raid, the police got violent and the protests turned into a six day riot. Pride month is about remembering those that fought for gay rights in the past, and Stonewall was one of the big events that launched the gay rights movement in the United States.

Many cities and towns across the country put on pride events and parades throughout the month of June. Apex, Raleigh and Cary are no exception to this, and are holding their own pride events. The Apex pride festival is on June 11th from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm near the Apex Town Hall and will include music, food, games, and other fun activities for people of all ages to enjoy.The Out! Raleigh Pride festival is on June 25th from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. This is also a family friendly event that includes a variety of vendors, speakers, music, other entertainment, and even an area specifically for kids to enjoy. 

There are a lot of students at Apex High School who also show pride. Some students are celebrating pride by hanging out with friends, going to the pride festivals in Apex and Raleigh, wearing rainbow clothes, or carrying around pride flags. Some of the students’ favorite parts of pride are getting to see people happy and being authentic about who they are. They also enjoy seeing all the rainbow flags and decorations up everywhere. Pride month is important to people for all sorts of reasons. It is a step towards equality for people in the LGBTQIA+ community, it celebrates the struggles that the community has faced in the past, and educates people about the community.