Celebrating Pride Month with Durham Parks and Recreation 🏳️🌈
🌈 Happy Pride Month from Durham Parks and Recreation!
This June, we’re proud to celebrate and honor Durham’s LGBTQ+ community! Pride is about showing up as your authentic self and knowing you belong—and here at DPR, we believe everyone deserves to feel safe, seen, and celebrated in our parks, programs, and public spaces.
Our parks, programs, and events are for everyone—and that means creating inclusive spaces where all people feel seen, valued, and safe. Whether it’s through outdoor adventures, arts and culture, fitness and wellness programs, or community celebrations, we are committed to ensuring that DPR reflects the diversity of Durham.
Did You Know? — The Role of Parks in Pride History
At the heart of 1969’s historic Stonewall uprising was Christopher Park, a prominent gathering space for the LGBTQ+ community in Greenwich Village. In the 1960s, public parks like Christopher Park provided rare safe havens for queer individuals who were otherwise forced into hiding due to widespread police harassment and societal discrimination.
Though meant to offer community and safety, these parks were often targeted by law enforcement, with LGBTQ+ individuals arrested simply for expressing themselves — whether by dancing with someone of the same sex or wearing nonconforming clothing. Despite this persecution, parks remained crucial gathering places. After the Stonewall uprising, LGBTQ+ people continued to organize and advocate for their rights in Christopher Park, sparking a national movement.
One year later, the first Pride march passed through Christopher Street and Christopher Park, ending in Central Park — symbolizing both resistance and celebration. These public spaces became sites of visibility, protest, and empowerment.
Parks have always played an essential role in the LGBTQ+ struggle for justice — as spaces of refuge, resistance, and expression. Today, the mission of public parks includes ensuring that everyone, regardless of identity, has safe and equal access.
This month, we invite you to celebrate with us by joining our Pride Month Photo Challenge: 📸🌈
Show us how you celebrate love, identity, and community in our parks, trails, and programs.
Here’s how to join our #DPRPrideChallenge:
✅ Snap a photo showing your Pride—think rainbow gear, art, flags, or just being your authentic self in a DPR space
✅ Tag us @dprplaymore
✅ Use the hashtags #DPRPrideChallenge + #DurhamPride
We’ll be sharing our favorite photos all month long! Let’s fill our feeds with love, joy, and color, as we promote acceptance and equality and celebrate Durham’s diverse community.
Whether you’re hiking, painting, dancing, or just soaking up sunshine in your favorite park—we want to see it. Let’s show that DPR has “Pride in Our Parks”!
Recommended Reads:
Pride in Parks: The Role of Parks in the Pride Movement and Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community
A History of Pride Around the Park
Honoring LGBTQ History with Pride
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