PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Pikeville Pride will be hosting a free Pride Picnic on Saturday, June 18, from noon until 5 p.m., in the Pikeville City Park. This event is open to all, in celebration of June as LGBT Pride Month.
LGBT Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall riots, a series of protests at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1969. These landmark events helped start the movement for acceptance and civil rights among members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. Pikeville Pride is proud to continue this tradition with a community celebration in Southern Appalachia.
“Pikeville, Pike County, and the mountains are our home, too,” says volunteer organizer Emma Lowe. “We value this place and our community just as much as any other resident. Events like the Pride Picnic help us come together with family, friends, and allies to celebrate our right to exist, and to show the world that we matter.”
Pikeville Pride has been hosting Pride events in October since 2018. This year marks the first ever event held during LGBT Pride Month in Pikeville. In addition to the picnic Saturday, the group will be hosting a large-scale Pride celebration on Oct. 15, also in the Pikeville City Park. Both events are open to anyone who would like to attend, and are free to all attendees.
Pikeville Pride is a local volunteer organization supported by the Lexington-based Pride Community Services Organization. With donations from community members, merchandise sales, and grant funding, they work to carve out a space in Pike County, Kentucky, and the surrounding Southern Appalachian area, where individuals of any gender and sexuality can feel safe and accepted in celebration of themselves, each other, and their community. For more information, you can check out the Pikeville Pride Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PikevillePride, or send a message to pikevillepride@gmail.com.
