Pride Month Celebrations Take Place at Atlantic City Casinos

By Jane Shaw Senior Editor Updated: 06/22/2024

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Atlantic City Casinos

It has been revealed that a variety of casino resorts in Atlantic City have stepped up to celebrate Pride Month, which is taking place throughout the course of June. The celebration is to honor the diverse range of sexual orientations and the LGBTQ+ community and is celebrated in cities around the world each year.

This annual event dates back to the Stonewall riots in 1969, which stemmed from alleged police persecution of sexual minorities at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York. Many see these events as the beginning of the gay rights movement in the USA.

An Array of Events at Atlantic City Casinos

Pride Month is celebrated in different ways in cities around the world, and in Atlantic City, a number of casinos have decided to celebrate with a range of events. Both Hard Rock Atlantic City and Caesars Entertainment put on events to celebrate Pride Month.

Hard Rock set a precedent in the area by raising the Pride Month flag above its resort on June 8. The casino resort also sponsored the 3rd Annual AC Pride Rainbow Ride and March for Equality, which also took place on June 8.

The march started at 10.00 am from Newport and Boardwalk in Ventnor and ended in front of the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City. Anthony Wilkinson, a veteran comedy performer known for his ‘Big Gay Italian Wedding’ show, had the honor of hoisting the flag at Hard Rock Atlantic City. He said:

I have been coming to Atlantic City since I was 21. Hard Rock has embraced the LGBTQ+ community and has a community program, ‘love all, serve all’ that has really been phenomenal in embracing the community.

Caesars Entertainment also made an announcement about its plans to unveil the new venue for the Miss’D America Pageant, a hugely popular event, later in the week.

This annual event is now in its 33rd edition and is a much-loved spoof of the iconic Miss America Pageant, which originally took place in Atlantic City. Miss’D America is known as a vibrant drag event that raises funds for LGBTQ+ charities.

Support for LGBTQ+ Rights Although Challenges Remain

Recent national polling conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Los Angeles Times highlighted broad support for LGBTQ+ rights among Americans. This included backing for same-sex marriage and protection for queer individuals. However, the survey also unveiled variations in support for the transgender and nonbinary community.

According to NORC, around a quarter of the US adult population would feel ‘very upset’ if their child identified as transgender or nonbinary. This is nearly double the rate of those who said that they would feel uncomfortable with a gay child.

Nevertheless, officials said that attitudes have changed radically over the decades. In 1985, less than a quarter of US adults reported knowing someone who had come out as gay or lesbian. Today, that figure stands at a huge 72 percent, which many believe is a reflection of the remarkable shift in acceptance and understanding.