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Events

Days We Celebrate

This page features the various celebrations held throughout the year to uplift and support the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Valentine’s Day and Love-is-love day – February 14/15
A day to celebrate affection and relationships, the Love-Is-Love day celebrated the day after the traditional and hetero-normative Valentine’s Day is a special day for LGBTQIA+ relationships.

International Transgender Day of Visibility – March 31
A day to show support for the transgender community, this event brings attention to the accomplishments of transgender people around the globe while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading knowledge of the trans community. It often involves marches, speeches, and celebrations. 

Day of Silence – April (date varies year to year)
A student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBTQIA+ name-calling, bullying, and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of ant- LGBTQIA+ behavior by illustrating silencing effect of bullying and harassment on LGBTQIA+ students and those perceived to be LGBTQIA+. 

Lesbian Visibility Day – April 26
A day to celebrate women-loving-women, it provides a platform for lesbian role models to speak out on issues facing the female-identified sexual minorities. It is also a day to promote equality and fair treatment in all environments. 

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia – May 17
A day to draw attention to non-heteronormative culture. Helps to raise awareness among the media, the public, political and opinion leaders, and local authorities to the situation faced by LGBTQIA+ people and those who do not conform to sexual and gender norms. 

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day – May 24
A day to celebrate the pansexual and panromantic community and an opportunity to promote education about the community.

LGBTQIA+ PRIDE MONTH

June is Pride Month, which honors the Stonewall Riots and marks the month that same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States in 2015. This month presents a great opportunity to show your support for the community by hosting fundraising activities and/or participating in York County Pride!

York County Pride - Second Saturday in June

York County Pride is a time to come together and celebrate the full inclusion of our wonderfully diverse community and specifically celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community in York County. This important event is the only one of its kind in York County and provides a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate and for the community at large to come together to advance the mission of making York a welcoming place for all.

Stonewall Riots Anniversary – June 28
The Stonewall Riots were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQIA+ community in response to continual police raids on safe spaces. While there had been other protests throughout the US, this was the first time the full community united behind a common cause, sparking a new wave for the gay rights movement.


International Non-Binary People’s Day – July 14
Non-binary, also known as genderqueer, is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍ —‌ identities that are outside the gender binary. This day celebrates the non-binary community and promotes education about those who may identify as having two or more genders, having no gender, moving between genders, etc.

Bisexual Awareness Week – September 16-23
Coinciding with the Celebrate Bisexuality Day on the 23rd of September, Bisexual Awareness Week is an annual celebration to accelerate the acceptance of the bisexual, pansexual, fluid, and queer community.

LGBTQIA+ HISTORY MONTH

First celebrated in 1994, October became the official national history month by President Barack Obama in 2009 to encourage openness and education about LGBTQIA+ history and rights. There are many minor holidays within the month to help spread awareness as well as celebrations and so it presents a great opportunity to hold an event and fundraiser.

National Coming Out Day Celebrations – October 11
National Coming Out Day is an annual LGBTQIA+ awareness day observed on October 11th. Celebrated throughout the country since 1988, this event presents a great opportunity to create safe and affirming places where LGBTQIA+ individuals can have a good time whether their out of the closet or not.

Spirit Day – October 20
A day millions wear purple in a stand against bullying and to show their support for LGBTQIA+ youth. Purple symbolizes ‘spirit’ on the rainbow flag.

Intersex Awareness Day – October 26
Celebrated to commemorate the first public demonstration by intersex people in North America.

Asexual Awareness Week – October 22-28
An international campaign that seeks to educate about asexual, aromantic, demisexual, and grey-asexual experiences and to create materials that are accessible to the asexual community and allies around the world.


International Transgender Day of Remembrance – November 20
Memorializing those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice, this event often honors those killed in the past year.

World AIDS Day – December 1
An opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988.


In addition to these major annual events, the Rainbow Rose Center hosts and co-hosts multiple smaller events that often do not show up on our website. These will often include rallies, vigils, fundraisers, and more. Please subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Rainbow Connection, and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on events throughout the year.

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