For Immediate Release: May 31, 2022 

The City of Alexandria will kick off Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month in June with its fifth annual Pride event on Saturday, June 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe St., in the parking lot). Visitors can collect Pride swag, enjoy music and food, create art, pose for Pride pictures and learn about LGBTQ+ inclusive services in Alexandria. Free and confidential HIV testing is also available. 

The event lineup includes a Pride Month Proclamation by Mayor Justin Wilson at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Drag Queen Story Hour at 2 p.m.

LGBTQ+ Pride Month is recognized each year to celebrate LGBTQ+ people and the influence they have had around the world, as well as to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community. June was chosen as Pride Month to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, when activists protested police raids on gay bars in New York City. The rebellion served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement and led to the creation of various gay activist groups in the United States and around the world.  

Visit alexandriava.gov/LGBTQ for more information about the City’s LGBTQ+ Task Force and resources. Visit the Alexandria Library’s LGBTQ Pride webpage for books and information related to LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

For inquiries from the news media only, contact Andrea Blackford, Editorial Communications Manager, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact maurice.tomdio@alexandriava.gov or call 571.384.5244, Virginia Relay 711. 

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This news release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/3654.