Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month
The world is rich with diversity, which is reflected in the observances and recognitions celebrated by its various cultures, religions, and populations.
These are a few observances in June, from local to international:
Caribbean American Heritage Month
Immigrant Heritage Month
LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Native American Citizenship Day
Juneteenth
LGBTQ+ Pride Day
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) pride. Pride Month honors LGBTQ+ rights, celebrates LGBTQ+ culture, and highlights the ongoing movement toward equality, diversity, and inclusiveness.
The 45th Front Runners New York LGBTQ+ Pride Run takes place on June 27 in Central Park. An enduring collaboration among Front Runners New York, NYRR, and the City of New York, the Pride Run was first held in 1982. Come out and cheer in support of equality, diversity, and inclusiveness.
We look forward to celebrating with you this month!
About Front Runners New York
Front Runners New York is New York City’s premier LGBTQ+ running and multisport club. Founded in 1979, the club has grown to over 1,200 members, the largest LGBTQ+ running club in the world.
J Solle’s 26.2 Miles of Pride at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon
As I walked out into the corral, I stared at the top of the Verrazzano Bridge. This was about to be my fourth TCS New York City Marathon and I’d never run on the top level before. My partner, Jake, and one of my best friends and teammates who I had been coaching to their second-ever marathon, Pat, were starting on the bottom level of the bridge. I thought about both of them and envisioned them on the bridge below me, and I felt alone yet excited as I walked up to the start line. This was going to be a big race for me, my target for the season, and I was hoping to PR—and yet, I knew how hard it would be on this course. The gun went off, my legs took me up the start of the slope onto the bridge, and we were off for what would be my hardest 26.2 miles yet
Finding Queer Joy at the Pride Run and Year-Round
Leading the Pride Run is a labor of love. It consists of 12 months of planning condensed into three intense hours of joy, celebration, and visibility in Central Park during Pride Month in June. This year, as I stood on the start-line stage watching the corrals gather in front of me, I felt overjoyed to help bring together this community. To me, this feeling, from sharing the race course with over 8,000 people to celebrating love and queer identity, lasts year-round. And I owe my own experience in New York, running, and serving as the Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run director to the sense of community I felt when I first ran this race in 2021.
Set the Pace: Running with Pride
Olympian Nikki Hiltz returned to Set the Pace after a record-breaking year of headline-making races and personal milestones. When they last joined the podcast, Nikki was on the verge of earning a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics—where they made history as the first openly transgender and nonbinary American to reach an individual Olympic final.
Galo Vasquez: Breaking the Tape and Breaking Barriers
As part of our LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebration, we are highlighting local NYC runners who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Galo Vasquez is one such runner whose talent and dedication to the sport led them to two major wins in just two months, breaking the tape at the RBC Brooklyn Half with a time of 1:13:18 and at the United Airlines NYC Half in March with a time of 1:11:19, completing both races as the top nonbinary runner.
Making a Difference in LGBTQIA+ Communities
NYRR and Front Runners New York have relationships with organizations that support LGBTQIA+ rights and help meet community needs.
Each year, Front Runners New York makes a donation to an LGBTQIA+ related nonprofit organization. This year's Pride Run beneficiary is Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. ("Lambda Legal"), a national organization working to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV, through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
Sofía Camacho Ferral Hopes to Bring More Visibility to Nonbinary and Trans Runners
When Sofía Camacho Ferral broke the tape at the 2024 RBC Brooklyn Half as the top nonbinary finisher, they also achieved a PR in the distance with a time of 1:14:06. “I was really excited when I turned the corner and realized I’d be breaking the tape! Even the PR was pleasantly unexpected.”
Everybody’s Welcome: The Story of Front Runners New York
In 2021, Front Runners New York and New Balance produced a video of the 40-year history of the Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run, its celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, and the ongoing movement toward equality, diversity, and inclusiveness.
Making NYC's LGBT Historic Sites Visible
New York City is home to hundreds of sites connected to LGBT history. The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project is a cultural heritage initiative that documents and presents the often untold stories of these sites. NYRR staff went on one of their walking tours of important LGBT historic sites in Manhattan’s West Village. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
The Importance of Trans and Nonbinary Acceptance
"Added visibility shows people that we exist. We've existed for a long time," says transgender runner Erika Kaiser. "And some of us like to run."
Running to Be Seen and Recognized
Kester Antiquina of Front Runners New York runs and races to "help people of all genders find common ground."
"I'm Someone Who Feels Marginalized When I Run"
Leesh Menard (they/them), 27, identifies as nonbinary trans with an agender microlabel. Leesh is a Ph.D. student at Columbia University and does research for the New York State Psychiatric Institute.