We celebrate the bravery , resilience and beauty of Rhode Island ’ s LGBTQ + community .
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHAD WEEDEN
FACES of PRIDE
EDITED BY EDELINDA BAPTISTA , DANA LAVERTY , KAITLYN MURRAY AND TABITHA PEREIRA
RHODE ISLAND ’ S ORIGINAL PRIDE BEGAN AS A PROTEST . After being shunned from the state ’ s bicentennial celebrations , seventy-five people sued and won the right to march through downtown Providence on June 26 , 1976 , in the state ’ s first
Pride parade .
The seventy-sixers , as they ’ re known , may have paved the way for Pride , but members of the state ’ s LGBTQ + community are still protesting . They ’ re protesting anti-queer and anti-trans legislation . Protesting prejudices . Protesting societal norms .
But they ’ re also thriving — building communities . Lifting each other up . Choosing families who affirm their basic needs and rights .
We asked local members of the queer community what Pride means to them . Here are their struggles , their joys , their fears and their hopes , in their own words .
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