The City of Irvine invites the community to the inaugural Pride in Irvine event Sunday, May 22, 9–10:30 a.m., at the Irvine Civic Center Piazza. The gathering will feature the raising of the Progress Flag in front of City Hall in honor of Harvey Milk Day, and in preparation for June Pride Month.

Local organizations representing the LGBTQ+ community will provide educational activities and information. Visitors will enjoy refreshments while learning about and celebrating Pride Month at this free event.

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected to public office in California, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1977 to 1978. His life and political career embody the rise of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. While in office, Milk advocated for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Milk was assassinated in 1978 by Dan White, a former colleague on the Board of Supervisors. On October 11, 2009, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger established Harvey Milk Day to be held as a significant observance on May 22, Milk’s birthday.

The Progress Flag is a symbol of the diversity and intersectionality of LGBTQ+ persons and communities around the world. The flag will be flown from May 22 to June 30 to mark two important turning points in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights: June 26, the anniversary of the historic Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples and is the law of the land; and June 28, which marks the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall riots of 1969.

The Irvine Civic Center Piazza is located at 1 Civic Center in Irvine. Learn more about Pride in Irvine at cityofirvine.org/pride.