Wichita Pride 2019 selects "Five Decades Forward – Stonewall 1969-2019" as theme

Wichita Pride has announced Five Decades Forward – Stonewall 1969-2019 as the theme for the 2019 Wichita Pride Celebration.

“As we make plans for the celebration, we want to honor the impact the Stonewall Riots had on the LGBT movement by incorporating its historical significance into our local celebrations,” said Stephanie Byers, Communications Director for Wichita Pride.

Beginning in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, patrons of a bar popular in New York City’s LGBTQ+ community rioted in response to repeated police raids and brutality. The Stonewall Riots, which lasted five nights, are considered by many as a landmark moment in the history of LGBTQ+ rights.

“The Stonewall Riots historical impact on the community, regardless of where you live, cannot be denied,” Byers said. “The goal of our 2019 celebration is not to make Stonewall our central focus, but rather to honor the impact those five nights had on bringing LGBTQ+ rights into the mainstream conversation.”

The Wichita Pride celebration has been a part of the Wichita LGBTQ+ community since 2005. Past themes include: Catch the Spirit, Out and About, and Simply Equal, as well as many others.

The Stonewall Riots of 1969 are thought by many historians to be the beginning of the gay rights movement in the United States.

Wichita Pride Inc. is a non-profit organization tasked with organizing, promoting, and operating Wichita’s annual Pride celebration and related events.
The Gayly 12/29/2018 @ 1:37 p.m. CST.