A Look Back at Pittsburgh Pride’s History on its Golden Anniversary

By Olivia Miller

In one word, the energy at this year's Pride parade was electric. From the iconic Pittsburgh sports mascots decked out in rainbow gear to the gigantic Pride flag making its way through Downtown to the North Shore and the hoards of people following it, it was clear that the city came out to support the LGBTQ+ community. But Pittsburgh’s Pride parade wasn’t always this dynamic.

Pittsburgh Pride got its humble beginnings in 1973 with the city’s first Gay Pride Week during the second week of June. During this week, events like queer dances, cabarets, and workshops featuring influential speakers took place leading up to a march at the end of the week. With the Stonewall Riots occurring just 4 years prior and a lot of hostility for the LGBTQ+ community still rampant, Pittsburgh’s first Pride celebration was marked with both fear and hope. However, the fears of the 100 participants were alleviated as they were able to freely walk along the three mile route from Market Square to Schenley Park.

The festivities were put on hold in the 1980s amid the AIDS epidemic and the increasing opposition from lawmakers to pass anti-discrimination legislation. However, Pride was back better than ever in 1991 with 500 participants, which doubled to over 1000 in 1992 and has been growing ever since to nearly 85,000 in 2023.