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Got Pride? Here, your handy guide to showing it off this Raleigh Pride Month.
This June, Raleigh is feting five years of being out and proud—and it promises to be the loudest month yet. From humble beginnings in 2019 to now, Raleigh Pride has ballooned into a must-attend monthlong series of events—and one with incredible community impact, both culturally and financially.
Dubbed the “year of partnerships and collaborations” by the Raleigh Pride team, you can expect this year’s lengthy and diverse lineup to include something for everyone. “I’m just amazed by what we’ve accomplished,” says co-founder Roxanne Lundy. “Folks are counting on Raleigh Pride—and banking on it. I think what’s cool to me watching the evolution is just how integrated these events have become into what Raleigh expects now.”
Having already emerged as a DTR summer fixture, Pride is expanding its reach citywide this year—with broadened offerings to boot. Think more panels, fitness classes, a fashion showcase and much more—plus big names (hey, RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants!).
“Every year we try really hard to come up with a new variety of programs to offer, ones that speak to all different kinds of community members—not only for queer communities, but also our allies who want to come out and support us,” says Raleigh Pride co-organizer David Moore. “So collaboration has really taken Raleigh Pride to the next level.”
Beyond partnerships, it’s also a year of identity for the Raleigh Pride team, notes co-founder Josh Lamm. “As I get older, I see how important it is to keep [Raleigh Pride] current, keep it fresh,” he says. “And I think we’ve done a really good job this year of making sure that happens.”
While Lundy maintains we’re not at the New York City Pride level (“yet!”), this year’s rave roster is a surefire indication we’re well on our way. Not to mention the Raleigh Pride team already has dreams for the years to come, from additional public art-related activations to a closer collab with the LGBT Center of Raleigh, amplified sponsorships and an overarching goal of “unifying the sectors of queerness that exist around the city,” says Lamm.
Right now, though, “it’s a lot to be proud of,” affirms Lundy, who emphasizes her team’s role in making her initial Raleigh Pride dreams a reality. And not just her dreams, but Raleigh’s—as each year Raleigh Pride Month helps to create a loving, welcoming and accepting atmosphere for all.
“I still struggle in my everyday life to feel like I belong in any room at any given time,” says Lamm. “And so what this work means to me—I don’t want anybody to feel that way. Being in a position to provide that level of safeness and security is a very big responsibility—and it’s a very important thing to do.”
Echoes Moore: “When we’re all together in masses, it just creates a better atmosphere and everybody can let their hair down.” And that’s exactly what this team has spent the last year dreaming and building for us all to manifest this June. Happy Pride!
Pride by the Numbers
- First Pride March in Raleigh on June 25, 1988
- $40,000: Money raised by 2023’s Run for Love 5K
- 1970: First-ever Pride marches in NYC, LA & Chicago
- 1982: Inaugural public demonstration for equal gay rights in Durham
- 1999: Pride Month became official via a proclamation from President Bill Clinton
- 2010: LGBT Center of Raleigh opens
- 2011: LGBT Center intros inaugural Out! Raleigh festival
- 2019: Premiere Raleigh Pride Month
- 2020: Out! Raleigh Festival moves to June and renamed Out! Raleigh Pride
Out & Proud
May 31; June 5, 12, 19 & 27
The Rialto x Raleigh Pride Movie Series
Oh, the (rocky) horror! But really, it’s anything but. Kick off Raleigh Pride (like, literally at midnight)—and continue the celebration throughout the month—via The Rialto’s series of LGBTQ+ flicks, starting with a shadowcast performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show feat. the Low Down Cheap Little Punks. Also catch Moonlight; Bottoms; Pink Flamingos; and a drag/rowdy screening of Josie and the Pussycats hosted by Chloe Cassidy, Chante Elise Cassidy and Stormie Daie. Because, baby, “You’re a star!” Ticketed, therialto.com
June 4
DEI Panel With The Diversity Movement
Calling all working girlies! This lunch and learn at Junction West covers active allyship and leveling up inclusive workplaces via convos with corporate leaders. Free, raleighpridenc.com
June 6 & 20
Pop Fitness Dance Class
Be up in the club—er, outside Poyner YMCA—working on your fitness in a welcoming and inclusive environment. You better werk! Free, raleighpridenc.com
June 8
Run for Love 5K + Dance for Love
Who doesn’t love an excuse to get down with your bad self?! Chase the rainbow through Dix Park for this annual 5K to benefit Raleigh Pride and the LGBT Center of Raleigh—then stay and get extra loud and proud for a scaled-up afterparty at Trophy Maywood feat. beer (obv), food trucks, a drag show, lip-synching competition, bubbles and boas. Or skip the run altogether and opt for dancing as your cardio. 5K ticketed, dance party free, trophybrewing.com
June 13
Queer Fashion Showcase + Cocktail Event
“Hair toss, check my nails.” Show up looking good as hell for this gallery-style fashion showcase at Junction West spotlighting queer designers and creatives. Free, raleighpridenc.com
June 15
Parlor Pride
Girls, gays, theys and everyone in between are gonna wanna gather ’round the parlor for this second annual shindig with twice the drag performances (s/o performers Marsha Mellows, Paris Brooks, Alexandra Vittz and Ruby Liqueur!) hosted by Oak City Kitty, music by DJ Jermainia, local food trucks and vendors, and kids activities. Sip, sip, hooray! Ticketed, heightshousenc.com
June 21
Raleigh Pride x Birdsong Open Mic
Slam poetry? More like ~slay~ poetry. Come out to Blackbird Books and Coffee to share your love out loud. Free, raleighpridenc.com
June 21
Girl’s Room
Let’s have a kiki! The Charlotte-based women-, femme-, and thems-centered party presented by DJ DOMii is coming to Junction West for a fun-filled GNO. Ticketed, raleighpridenc.com
June 22
Out! Raleigh Pride
Paint the town rainbow and get loud and proud for Raleigh’s annual Pride fest benefiting the LGBT Center of Raleigh and its 20+ community programs. There’s no better way to show your pride than the dozen-year-running inclusive + fam-friendly fest on Fayetteville Street feat. live entertainment (including performances by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 fan-favorite Dawn and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 9 cast member Jorgeous), artists and vendors, food, a beer garden, KidsZone and more. Hey, there’s no such thing as being extra in June! Free, outraleighpride.org
June 22
GAG! Queen
Prepare to slay the house boots down for the drag dance party extravaganza of the year. Fit for a queen (and king!), the two-year anniversary show—in partnership with Raleigh Pride—feats a top-notch cast of local and nationally known entertainers, including Alexandra Vittz, Jaida Essence Hall (RuPaul’s Drag Race S12 winner) and Dawn; DJs; and dancing. Real ones will follow it up with a ~legendary~ afterparty at Legends with Jaida Essence Hall and Jorgeous. Be there or be square. Ticketed, livenation.com
June 26
Hump Day Speed Dating
You should def come out to potentially find “the one” at Johnson Street Yacht Club. Aw, we love love! Ticketed, raleighpridenc.com
June 27
LGBTQIA + Pro Sports Panel
Sports ball is life. Have a ball with the Panthers’ Justine Lindsay, the first openly transgender cheerleader in the NFL; NC Courage’s Kaleigh Kurtz; and NCFC’s Collin Martin at Maywood Hall & Garden. Free, raleighpridenc.com
June 28
Creative Mornings x Raleigh Pride
Now how’s this for a creativity-filled morning. Local Chinese-American visual artist and health equity researcher Isabel Lu is speaking on her journey as a creative who wears two hats at the NCMA. Free with registration, raleighpridenc.com
June 29
Awful Movie Club – Pride Edition
The gays are reclaiming I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (“sorry, Sandler, it’s Pride Month!”). Join Newt Work for this special-edition showing at Hartwell in a live RiffTrax-style show where participation is highly encouraged. Say I do! Free, facebook.com
Protecting Raleigh’s Pride
We chatted with at-large Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Melton about how Raleigh’s inclusivity stacks up.
As a whole, where do you think Raleigh stands in terms of our current LGBTQ+ community?
I think we’re making strides in supporting our LGBTQ+ community. Wake County and Raleigh have enacted a comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinance. We have strong advocates working in the space like the LGBT Center of Raleigh, Stonewall Sports Raleigh, Crape Myrtle Festival and Raleigh Pride, among others.
How is Raleigh currently promoting inclusivity?
The events Raleigh Pride plans in June to celebrate Pride Month continue to grow and expand, which raises visibility and creates inclusive spaces. We also have many safe, inclusive gay and queer spaces supported by local small business owners who are committed to our city.
When you travel to other cities, what are some things you see that Raleigh could implement?
I love seeing rainbow crosswalks and better physical markers designating, celebrating and preserving LGBTQ+ spaces. I would love to see Raleigh implement more of this public art, particularly in the Warehouse District, which has been known as the ‘Gayborhood’ for a long time but is rapidly changing.
Where are some areas we fall short?
In many ways, we’re restricted by state law in what we can do to provide additional protections, and certainly some of the legislation we’ve seen proposed or enacted in recent years I think sets us back as a state and a city.
How can the general public support our LGBTQ+ community?
Please support locally owned LGBTQ+ businesses and donate to nonprofit and community groups that are in the space doing the work to promote inclusivity and acceptance!
In partnership with Blue Water Spa
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