For most people, including those in and out of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s easy and familiar history that global recognition of the month of June as Pride month has its roots in the Stonewall Riots, which took place over several days beginning June 28, 1969. Following a police raid on the gay bar Stonewall Inn, located in New York City, members of our community fought back against harassment from local police.
One year later on the anniversary of the riots, the first Pride marches were held in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. In the years that followed other large cities would jump on board (North Carolina would see its first Pride events in June 1981 in Charlotte and Durham) creating their own Pride events here in the United States and, gradually, around the globe.
In the 21st century, it has become relatively commonplace to see Pride events held in smaller towns and communities, which were once places that LGBTQ+ individuals often fought hard to escape from.
With the explosion of Pride celebrations here and abroad, activists and event planners became acutely aware of the need for – and benefits of – a way to connect Pride communities both nationally and internationally. From that school of thought was born an organization that has since come to be known as InterPride.
In October 1982, the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Pride Coordinators was formed in Boston, Massachusetts. An initial membership of six Pride organizers, all based in the United States, helmed the original group.
In the years that followed membership has grown to include Pride organizers from around the planet. That development led to a new name for the organization – InterPride – and a membership that, as of 2021, totals over 300 organizations for more than 60 countries.
And the growth shows no signs of stopping. Beginning in 2015 and continuing at an ever-increasing rate membership from outside the United States has grown from 21 percent to 49 percent. Trends indicates that reflects participation from Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Micronesia and Polynesia) and the global South, which includes Africa, Asia and South America.
What does InterPride do?
Today InterPride is an international organization with official status and recognition from the United Nations, which advances the Pride movement, by coordinating with global partners who share a common goal: celebrating pride in our community through visibility.
In order to increase that visibility, Interpride works with and supports development of networks around the globe, which contributes to the presence and influence of Pride efforts in national, regional and local levels.
In short, InterPride brings together organizers from around the world to share their knowledge and experience, to network and learn how to increase their impact on communities everywhere.
Talking with InterPride
To gain some additional inside into InterPride, Qnotes spoke with two of the organization’s three presidents.
“I joined InterPride in 2018 as an attendee at the annual general meeting,” says Natalie Thompson, one of the presidents. “[That was] in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, alongside my colleagues from Capital Pride Alliance in Washington, DC. The conference was an opportunity to network with Prides from around the world and develop goals for the organization for the next year.
“In 2019, I was elected to the board as a vice president of global outreach and partnerships, working directly with Pride organizations in the United States, Africa and Europe. In 2022 at our conference in Guadalajara, I was elected to serve as one of the co-presidents.
“As a BIPOC leader in these spaces, I’m dedicated to continuing the conversations around how we are centering equality in our work. It is important to me that we are consistently creating spaces where all our intersectional identities are represented and celebrated within our Pride movement.”
Rahul Upadhyay is also a co-president of InterPride.
“I am from India,” he explains. “As an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, I have dedicated my efforts to … inclusivity and representation through various organizations. My journey began in 2018 when I founded a group named Orenda. Through Orenda I became associated with InterPride.”
“In 2019 I founded the Ganhindagar Queer Pride Foundation (GQPF) furthering my commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community. Through GQPF, I became a member of InterPride and have since been deeply involved with the organization in several capacities.
“Currently I am honored to serve as a co-president of InterPride. I am committed to bringing the diverse voices from the Asian region to the forefront. My goal is to ensure that our perspectives and experiences are represented and heard on the global stage, fostering a more inclusive and equitable world for all.”
Both of the InterPride leaders are clearly enthusiastic about their involvement with the organization, and it’s importance on global queer rights and culture.
Says Upadhyay: “I believe that one of the crowing achievements of InterPride is its ability to be a truly global organization, welcoming diverse voices from marginalized communities. InterPride continuously strives to achieve its goal of being an inclusive global entity. Partnering with various organizations and delivering some spectacular projects is another significant achievement, for example global Pride 2020 stands out as a remarkable success.”
Thompson shares Upadhyay’s perspective on Global Pride 2020.
“That is a moment I carry with me. InterPride’s participation in bringing Global Pride 2020 to our community during the pandemic. In partnership with other Pride organizations we developed a 27-hour virtual Pride event during the pandemic and raised money for organizations negatively impacted by the effects.”
While Pride events continue to grow in popularity and size around the globe, current political developments have left events facing some challenges.
“InterPride has indeed faced significant challenges amid current world politics,” says Upadhyay. “One of the most pressing issues is the rise of far right politics, which has increasingly targeted the LGBTQ+ community. Our members are deeply concerned about the instrumentalization of our rights as political pawns in these contexts. This political climate has led to heightened queerphobia, racism, misogyny, and other forms of discrimination and oppression.”
Despite the challenges facing LGBTQ+ people around the globe, InterPride still encourages the travel-minded to take advantage of Pride events everywhere to experience new aspects of queer culture.
“For … LGBTQ+ travelers from the US looking to have their first international Pride experience,a great place to start would be our neighbors to the north and south. There are some amazing opportunities to engage with pride events happening in Canada and Latin America,” says Thompson. “When you decide you’re ready to travel, do your research on destinations and network with Pride organizers in that area. Participating with InterPride for the US Association of Prides is a great place to start.”
This is the first in a two-part series from Qnotes looking at Pride organizing around the globe. Later this month, we’ll explore the United States Association of Prides (USAP).
For more details on InterPride visit https://www.interpride.org.
