The Morgan Stanley float participants walk during the Baltimore Pride Parade on Charles St. in Baltimore, Md. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

June is Pride Month | PHOTOS

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Each year in June — the month in which the 1969 Stonewall uprising occurred in Manhattan, marking a turning point in the gay rights movement — the country recognizes the LGBTQ+ community’s struggles and honors their achievements. In Baltimore, there are celebrations throughout the month, with the last full week of Pride Month representing the grand finale, culminating with the Baltimore Pride Parade marching up Charles Street and ending in a joyous block party in the Mount Vernon area, sometimes referred to as the “gayborhood.” The region is at the center of Baltimore’s gay community and the seat of its history. Among the storied locations there is Leon’s, a Park Avenue bar that has long provided a safe haven for gay people, beginning in the late 1950s. Further north, the Baltimore Safe Haven resource center, launched in 2018, offers vulnerable transgender people and others access to a drop-in wellness center and “opportunities to thrive” rather than just survive. Here, Pride is more than a month of celebration, it’s meant to last a lifetime.

The Morgan Stanley float participants walk during the Baltimore Pride Parade on Charles St. in Baltimore, Md. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Sister Tearyn Upinjustice of the The DC Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Group waves to spectators during the Baltimore Pride Parade. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Pauley Dempsey, center with flag, cheers on the parade floats at the Baltimore Pride Parade on Charles St. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Friends take a selfie ahead of the Baltimore Pride Parade on Charles St. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Acie Lyons dances on the Pride Center of Maryland float during the pride parade. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Shawn Grogan, left, talks to Scott Howard outside Leon’s Back Bar. Leon’s, a centerpiece of Mount Vernon, Baltimore’s LGBTQIA+ neighborhood has long been a safe space for the community, officially starting as a gay bar in 1957. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Scott Howard, left, and Todd White share a laugh at Leon’s Back Bar. Leon’s, a centerpiece of Mount Vernon, Baltimore’s LGBTQIA+ neighborhood has long been a safe space for the community, officially starting as a gay bar in 1957. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Sue Nami poses for a portrait at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch during Pride Month. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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A detail of Michael Russo’s (Candi Fuentes) earring, is seen before their performance at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch during Pride Month in Columbia, Md. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Michael Russo, who goes by the performance name, Candi Fuentes, prepares for their performance at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Candi Fuentes shares a drink with Lissa Ransom and others at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Michelle Binkley, who was celebrating her bachelorette party, dances at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch in Columbia, Md. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Sue Nami performs at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch during Pride Month. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Deandre Barnes, left, Aisha Nichols, center, and Monique Ellis, dance at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch during Pride Month. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Drag Queens Florance, center, and KC Florance, right, prepare for their performance at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Candi Fuentes dances among the guests at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Michael Bermudez, who goes by the performance name, KC Florance, prepares for their performance at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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KC Florance dances at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch during Pride Month. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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This is a detail of Candi Fuentes’ Union Jack's Drag Me To Brunch performance outfit. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Fern Krest, looks at her son, Victoria Raye, who goes by the performance name, Florance, before their show at Union Jack’s Drag Me to Brunch during Pride Month. “I am here for every show,” said Krest. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Lloyd Jones, Koryne, and Kamiya cheer on dancers at the Baltimore Safe Haven Kiki Ball in Baltimore, Md. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Amiyah Scott, center, cheers for dancers at the Baltimore Safe Haven Kiki Ball. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Tymani Mobley dances at the Baltimore Safe Haven Kiki Ball. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Ervena Chloe, left, and Irvin Johnson, right, both drag queens wait outside the Crown before a performance at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride After Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Baphomette, a drag queen performs at The Crown at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride After Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Baphomette, a drag queen performs at The Crown at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride After Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Justin Winston, who goes by the performance name Romeo Balmain, performs at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride Block Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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A drag queen performs at The Crown at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride After Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Members of the audience watch as Tink, a female rapper, perform at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride Block Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Members of the audience watch as Tink, a female rapper performs. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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A drag queen performs at The Crown at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride After Party. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Angel Asamoah, left, and Ty Lee, right, laugh while at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride Block Party on Charles St. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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Destiny Ini, left, and Danii Cox, kiss following performances at the Baltimore Safe Haven Trans Pride Block Party in Baltimore, Md. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)

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