Heat, marches and a hate crime. Why Durham celebrates Pride in September
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham celebrates Pride in September to avoid summer heat and boost turnout.
- The shift in timing honors Ronald Antonevitch, killed in an anti-gay attack in 1981.
- This year’s theme, 'We Are The Rainbow,' emphasizes unity amid rising challenges.
Durham’s annual LGBTQ+ celebration returns Sept 26-28, with supporters promising a weekend of celebration, joy and self-affirmation in the Bull City.
Pride: Durham, NC kicks off with a concert and rally in CCB Plaza on Friday, followed by events across downtown and on Duke’s East Campus.
For those new to the area, one question often comes up: Why does Durham hold its biggest Pride events in September?
While smaller gatherings happen in June, the traditional Pride Month honoring the Stonewall Uprising, when patrons of a New York City gay bar fought back against police harassment, Durham’s parade and festival take place in the fall.
The choice reflects both practical reasons and a community response to a killing in north Durham’s Little River watershed.
Ronald Antonevitch and the beginning of Pride: Durham, NC
In April 1981, Ronald “Sunny” Antonevitch and three others were spending the day at Little River when two men began shouting anti-gay threats. The group was assaulted, and Antonevitch, a 46-year-old man with a disability, suffered head and kidney injuries. He died in the hospital three days later.
The murder galvanized the community. Five days later, over 100 people gathered in front of the Durham County Courthouse to protest the killing, igniting a period of activism within the LGBTQ+ community from April to June.
In response to the hate crime, the city held its first march, “Our Day Out,” on June 28. According to the Durham Civil Rights Map, this was also the state’s first gay and lesbian march. It drew 300 people, who gathered at Five Points Plaza downtown, walked up Chapel Hill Street, went around the courthouse, and returned down Main Street.
Five years later, in June 1986, the first annual pride march was held on Duke University’s campus. The community faced significant threats, including the AIDS epidemic, job and housing discrimination, and Klan violence. There was even a campaign to recall Durham Mayor Wib Gulley for endorsing the march.
Reflecting on those early days, Jesse Huddleston, chair of the organizing committee for Pride: Durham, NC, said, “Community members gathered from around the state and Durham to acknowledge, to protest, to show up and take up space visibly, and they continued to gather across the state every year.”
“I’m grateful that Durham is a place where we have a lot of affirmation, we have a lot of support,” he said.
By 2000, Durham’s Pride march stood out among the state’s largest cities, drawing around 2,000 people despite a lack of organization. But the 90-degree summer heat began to cause organizers to reconsider the timing, and they eventually moved the main celebration to September to take advantage of cooler weather and to ensure more university students could participate.
‘We Are The Rainbow’
This year, organizers have worked closely with the Durham Police Department and trained volunteers to prioritize safety. Barricades will block streets, and chairs will be available for those watching along the parade route.
“There’s a lot of things that we’re doing to make sure folks can take care of one another and stay safe,” Huddleston said. “If we take seriously the fact that there are still laws and policies that normalize and allow LGBTQ people, families, organizations to be treated less than in 2025, this is still a thing for us, as progressive as we aspire to be.”
As the nation faces legislative rollbacks of LGBTQ+ protections and continued attacks on transgender people, Pride: Durham, NC’s theme this year, “We Are The Rainbow,” highlights solidarity and resilience in the LGBTQ+ and Durham community.
“In light of the history of pride in our state and in light of the current set of circumstances, both federally and locally, our theme suggests that we are stronger when we come together,” Huddleston said. “We are more radiant and powerful when we come together.”
An entire weekend of celebration in Durham is an evolution for Pride, and for the LGBTQ Center of Durham, which hosts the event.
“Every dollar that we raise that we don’t spend on programs for [Pride:Durham, NC] takes care of queer and trans and non-binary folk that are providing essential services to community members,” Huddleston said. “To young people coming out, to people who are transitioning and need legal advice, folks who need emergency gender-affirming care.”
Celebrate Pride: Durham, NC
Pride: Durham, NC is sponsored by local and state groups like Equality NC, the City of Durham, Movement Voter Fund, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and the restaurant chain Alpaca Peruvian Chicken. Durham County pulled its financial support for the event this year, citing fears of retaliation by the Trump administration, The News & Observer previously reported.
Durham Parks and Recreation is also celebrating Pride in September with special walking tours highlighting the city’s LGBTQ+ history every Saturday at noon.
Over 100 groups have registered to march in the parade from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday on Duke’s East Campus.
For a weekend schedule and more information about Pride: Durham, NC go to lgbtqcenterofdurham.org.
Uniquely NC is a News & Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Triangle and North Carolina.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM.