History
In the early 1990’s many members of Detroit’s Black lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) community began making annual pilgrimages to other cities such as Washington, D.C., Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles, CA where Black gay prides celebrations first originated and were occurring.
Around the same time, several members of Detroit’s Black LGBT community had formed social groups and organizations and began to produce social events and parties that became popular among the city’s Black LGBT community, were extremely well attended and also attracted Black LGBT persons from other cities. The groups producing these events included the Billionaires Boys Club (BBC), Men of Color Motivational Group (MOC), Ladies of a Current Affair and Family Reunion.
Many of these events occurred at the end of July when there was no competition with Black LGBT pride celebrations in other cities. As a result, the cross pollination around these events planted the seed among a few members of Detroit’s Black LGBT community to organize a community-based, grass-roots Black pride celebration based in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1995, Men of Color Motivational Group initiated the groundwork, planting the seed for what would eventually serve as the foundation in which a Black pride celebration would be launched as a community-wide event in the Detroit metropolitan area. Community organizers, business leaders, activists and allies came together and made a commitment to work collectively on an ambitious endeavor and mission to establish a Black LGBT pride celebration in Detroit. Thus was the early beginnings of what is now known as Detroit’s Hotter Than July.
Detroit Gay Pride
In 1996, Detroit celebrated its first Black gay pride as a result of a community wide, grass-roots endeavor. Detroit’s Hotter Than July was thus birthed with the official support of several Black LGBT community groups including the Baldwin-Parker Society, Billionaire’s Boys Club, Men of Color Motivational Group, A. Lourde Collective, Kick Publishing Company, Project Survival, Ladies of a Current Affair and Full Truth Unity Fellowship Church.
In the years following, Detroit’s Hotter Than July grew and an organization, Detroit Black Gay Pride, was created to oversee the annual celebration, its expanding array of events and ultimately host to numerous local and national personalities and entertainers. Additionally, over the years, the organization sought to be an active voice and advocate for the metropolitan Detroit’s Black SGL/LGBT community by addressing pertinent issues affecting our constituents such as homophobia, safe schools environments for SGL/LGBT youth, HIV/AIDS, police harassment, and relationships with the larger Black community.
Today, Detroit’s Hotter Than July is produced by the Black Pride Society, Inc. (formerly Detroit Black Gay Pride), incorporated in 2004 as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and overseen by a dedicated and engaged board of directors who remain committed to the founders’ philosophy and value of a community-driven organization. We are proud to be one of the most significant Black pride celebrations in the United States, as well as the Midwest’s oldest Black LGBT pride celebration. We are equally proud to be a charter member of the International Federation of Black Prides (IFBPrides) that represents over thirty Black SGL/LGBT pride organizations around the world.
Only in pride and a belief in our right to live our lives in the full truth of our being can our community grow, prosper and be healthy. Only in pride can we produce a celebration that affirms and nurtures our self, spirit and soul. Only through pride can we manifest the Kwanza principle of “Ujima” to empower and honor all same gender loving, lesbian, gay, bi-attractional and transgender people of African descent in Detroit and beyond.