Philly Pride

Every year during the month of June since 1972, the city of Philadelphia has gathered and celebrated what we now know today as the Philly Pride Parade. Pride takes place in the Philadelphia Gayborhood, a neighborhood stretching between 11th and Broad Street as well as Chestnut and Pine Street. This neighborhood was initially called the “Locust Strip” or “the gay ghetto” in the mid-20th century. But how did this iconic tradition begin, and what makes it unique from other cities? The annual pride festival, along with the Gayborhood has made Philly into the city it is today.

The first Pride parade took place in 1972, adding to the legacy of activism that began in the 1960s. From 1965 to 1969, the Reminder Day Demonstrations were held in front of Independence Hall and Chestnut Street to raise awareness of bigotry, discrimination, and wrongful treatment of the gay community in Philadelphia. The parade was organized by a few groups of LGBTQ individuals, including the Gay Activists Alliance, Homophile Action League, and groups from local universities such as UPenn and Temple University. The festival was originally held in Rittenhouse Square stretching to Independence National Historical Park, but in the 1990s turned concentrated around Broad Street and the Gayborhood. 

Gay activism and the AIDS epidemic led to the formation of a prominent gay community in and around the city. In 2007, pride signs were officially installed, marking the Gayborhood as an official part of the city. During recent years, the march has kicked off with numerous speeches and dedications to native nations, specifically nations such as the Lenape people. While it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific year in which Native American people were given a space in the Gayborhood, they have been and will continue to be a vibrant part of the queer community in the city. 

In 2017, Philly created its own pride flag—classic rainbow with an addition of black and brown stripes representing the black and brown queer community. The city's iconic 600-foot pride flag still stands to represent the queer community in and around the metropolitan city. Today, the Gayborhood remains a vibrant and colorful community, celebrating its life and culture year round. This year, the 2025 pride celebration plans to continue the iconic tradition of celebration and protest.