In Canada, the Pride Season is celebrated from June through to September.
Pride Season offers a chance to acknowledge, celebrate, and gain a deeper understanding of the numerous contributions made by diverse sexual and gender identities, including Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other sexually and gender-diverse individuals (2SLGBTQI+).
Pride Season encompasses various Pride events, including:
- Pride Month, celebrated every June in many countries;
- Public Service Pride Week, celebrated annually in the third week of August; and
- Pride events celebrated all summer long across Canada.
The roots of Pride events in North America can be traced back to the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969. These riots occurred when members of the LGBT community protested against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. These spaces were frequently targeted by violent raids, and their patrons often faced brutality from law enforcement. The Stonewall riots marked an important turning point in opposing such mistreatment and advocating for political and social change. On the one-year anniversary of the uprising, the first Pride marches were held in the United States, and the movement subsequently spread worldwide.
