How To Celebrate June Pride Month In Mahwah

MAHWAH, NJ — Pride Month starts Thursday and continues through June, with several ways in Mahwah to participate in the celebration of LGBTQ culture, rights and identity.

Among them is Mahwah's third annual Pride Month Celebration, which is set to feature family activities, live music, an art show and resource tables from Planned Parenthood, Garden State Equality, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and more. You can register for the event for free on Eventbrite.

Ramsey High School will also be hosting its fifth annual LGBTQ+ Pride Ceremony, complete with speakers, food trucks and live music. The event will take place at the high school on June 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. You can RSVP for free on Eventbrite.

Pride Month occurs during June in deference to the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the struggle for equality among people who identify as LGBTQ. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common, but patrons fought back, resulting in days of violent clashes across Greenwich village.

The observance started as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June, but soon grew to the point that June calendars are packed with pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts across the nation and around the world.

In New Jersey, about 4.1 percent of the population — or 343,000 people — identify as LGBTQ, according to the Movement Advance Project, which tracks legislation targets. They represent 4 percent of New Jersey’s workforce, or 205,000 people.
The organization gives New Jersey 39.25 points out of a possible 43.5 points. Our state received 17.5 points out of a possible 20 for sexual orientation policy and 21.75 points out of a possible 23 for gender policy. The overall ranking was graded “HIGH.”

Pride Month 2023 occurs amid a historic surge in bills targeting LGBTQ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Nearly 500 pieces of legislation nationwide have been filed in state legislatures this year, according to the ACLU tracking.

Legislation introduced in New Jersey includes a bill that would give public school parents vouchers to nonpublic schools if they object to learning material that they consider harmful, which includes lessons on sexuality and gender expression.

Another bill would ban transgender female athletes from competing in women's sports in schools and would require all student athletes to participate in sports teams for their biological sex, though there is little evidence that trans women have any advantage in sports, according to a 2017 study.

Both bills were introduced and were referred to committee this past January.

Yet another bill would ban gender-affirming care for youth in New Jersey. This bill was introduced in January. Read more: Trans Youth Care Criminalized In NJ Bill; Lawmaker Won't Name Sources

“LGBTQ people are under fire, unlike possibly ever before and across virtually every aspect of our lives,” Logan S. Casey, a senior researcher at Movement Advancement Project, told The Washington Post in April. “This is part of a very clear and identifiable national effort in state legislatures that is and has been going on for years — and it’s really culminating this year.”