Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month

Governor Kathy Hochul directed state office buildings and landmarks to illuminate in the colors of the Pride flag and raise LGBTQ+ progress Pride flags today, June 1, to celebrate New York’s LGBTQ+ community and mark the beginning of Pride month. The Governor also issued a proclamation designating June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the Empire State. The Pride flag will be raised at the State Capitol, the Empire State Plaza and the Governor’s Executive Mansion.

“New York is the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement — members of the community have marched for equality since 1969, and every year one of the world’s largest Pride marches takes place in New York City,” Governor Hochul said. “Now more than ever, we are fighting to protect LGBTQ+ rights and protections — all New Yorkers deserve to be safe, heard and valued regardless of who they love or how they identify. New York is proud of its history and will always celebrate Pride.”

The following State landmarks will illuminate various colors of the Pride flag on June 1 and June 23-30, and Capital region landmarks will be lit the weekend of June 7-9:

• One World Trade Center
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• State Education Building
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
• Niagara Falls
• The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Moynihan Train Hall
• Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park

The Pride flag will be flown at the following State agencies and office buildings throughout New York State:

• New York State Capitol
• Empire State Plaza
• Governor’s Executive Mansion
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• New York State Office of General Services
• New York State Department Of Transportation
• New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities
• New York State Workers' Compensation Board
• Hampton Plaza
• Harriman Campus
• Ten Eyck
• Binghamton State Office Building
• Dulles State Office Building
• Henderson-Smith State Office Building
• State Preparedness Training Center (Oriskany)
• Homer Folks Facility
• Senator John H. Hughes State Office Building
• Utica State Office Building
• Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building
• Eleanor Roosevelt State Office Building
• Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center
• Perry B. Duryea State Office Building

Additionally, Governor Hochul announced that the Pride flag will be flown at the following State parks across New York State:

• Allegany State Park
• Artpark
• Bayard Cutting Arboretum
• Belmont Lake State Park
• Bethpage State Park
• Caleb Smith State Park
• Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
• Clermont State Historic Site
• Connetquot River State Park
• DF Riverbank State Park
• FDR Four Freedoms State Park
• FDR State Park
• Gantry Plaza State Park
• Green Lakes State Park
• Hamlin State Park
• Hempstead Lake State Park
• Hither Hills State Park
• Jones Beach State Park
• Lake Taghkanic State Park
• Letchworth State Park
• Marsha P Johnson State Park
• Mills-Norrie State Park
• Montauk Downs State Park
• Niagara Falls State Park
• Orient Beach State Park
• Philipse Manor Hall
• Planting Fields State Park
• Robert Moses State Park
• Roberto Clemente State Park
• Saratoga Spa State Park
• Shirley Chisholm State Park
• Sunken Meadow State Park
• Taconic State Park State Park
• Valley Stream State Park
• Wellesley Island State Park

Throughout her positions in local and state government, Governor Hochul has championed policies and made investments to support marginalized New Yorkers. A national leader in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, she signed legislation to make New York a safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth and paved the way for an Equal Rights Amendment to be embedded in the New York State Constitution.

The LGBTQ+ community has been no stranger to the Trump administration’s attacks and the federal government’s pursuit to strip away rights and protections from people who are trying to be themselves. These attacks have dismantled years of civil rights progress and advocacy, rolling back protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and sheltering accessibility to information for individuals who are seeking to learn more about their identity and receive gender-affirming care.

Every year, New York City is home to one of the world’s largest Pride marches and Pride events in the world. This year, the Pride march will take place on June 29 — annually, the last Sunday in June — and throughout June, Empire State Development’s Division of Tourism/I LOVE NY will continue to encourage tourists to discover all the events and destinations awaiting them across New York State through I LOVE NY LGBTQ. The I LOVE NY LGBTQ website features travel guides, blogs and a Pride event calendar with events taking place throughout New York State. For more information on LGBTQ travel and Pride events, click here.