On June 2 the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners declared this month to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month to affirm the county’s commitment to eliminating discrimination, harassment and violence on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Communities nationwide commemorate Pride Month each June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village that many credit with giving birth to the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the United States.
Multnomah County is proud to have a vibrant LGBTQ community. But sadly, sexual minorities still experience prejudice and hate. The Health Department’s 2009 Speak Out LGBTQ Health Survey revealed that 82 percent of respondents had experienced insults or verbal abuse at some point in their lives because of their sexual orientation. Even more troubling, 55 percent of respondents said they had experienced threats of violence or intimidation for the same reason.
Pride Month in Multnomah County is spotlighted with the annual Portland Pride Parade, now in its 41st year. The board of Pride Northwest chose “Make It Happen” as the theme of this year’s parade to communicate that all people have the power to make change in their own lives, the lives of others and in their community.
The county’s auditor and board of commissioners will march in the parade with PRISM, an employee network group with more than 70 LGBTQ members and allies. The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 19 at SW 13th and Burnside.