The event, hosted by the nonprofit Kansas City Pride Community Alliance, typically draws thousands to Theis Park each June to celebrate and support LGBTQ rights in Kansas City. But it was not always that way.
Kansas City’s first Pride Festival in 1975 was organized activist groups like the Gay People’s Union and the Kansas City Women’s Liberation Union. It featured picnics, dancing, live performances and community workshops.
It wasn’t until March of 1977 that Kansas City’s first Pride parade would be organized by Lea Hopkins. It was a small, but mighty group of Kansas Citians that marched to the Liberty Memorial. And they would march again a few weeks later in protest when the anti-gay activist Anita Bryant came to Kansas City a convention.
Take a look at photos from The Star’s archive to see how in the 50 years since that first march, the Pride parade and festival in Kansas City has grown to be one of the largest annual events in the city.
Chanting “We shall overcome,” 250 marchers walk through downtown streets in a Gay Pride Parade, the first of several functions commemorating Gay Pride Week June 16-24, 1978. Kansas City Star file photo
Members of the Heartland Men’s Chorus march in the 1997 Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebration Parade from Westport to 31st Street and Broadway in Kansas City. Kansas City Star file photo
Jay Barrish, president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri, participated in the 1998 Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade and Celebration. The celebrations take place across the nation in June. Kansas City Star file photo
Twyla Zone stands atop a float on Main Street as Pride Fest ’99 begins with a parade in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Hundreds gathered to watch the parade, and a festival later in the day that attracted more than 3,000 people. Kansas City Star file photo
About 300 panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt were displayed at Bartle Hall during the Gay and Lesbian Pride Festival in 2000. Carrying an American flag, Mark Owings of Kansas City passed by the quilt display. Kansas City Star file photo
About 1,000 people, including Bill Ford, executive director of Pride Productions, participated in the Pride 2000 parade along 18th and Main streets. Kansas City Star file photo
Crowds gathered at the corner of Broadway and Valentine Road in Kansas City to watch the Gay Pride Parade travel from Westport to Penn Valley Community College in 2002. Kansas City Star file photo
Maddie Anderson, left, and Jessi Carpenter celebrated during the KC Pride Parade as they marched with a group from SportingKC in 2002. Kansas City Star file photo
A local performer known as Belle Starr waved to those viewing the parade along Broadway in Westport in 2003. Kansas City Star file photo
Kansas City Gay Pride 2004 opened at Liberty Memorial. Kansas City Star file photo
Amid the bustle of activity at the Kansas City Gay Pride Festival, Eulonda Moore, left, and Megan Forbes of Kansas City shared time together in 2005. Kansas City Star file photo
Four hundred panels of the AIDS quilt were shipped from Atlanta and displayed Sunday at the Kansas City Gay Pride Festival in 2008. Kansas City Star file photo
Friends Felecia Warden, 17, of Kansas City, Ethen Galvin (center, with flag) of Kansas City, Kansas, and Trevor Doyal of Kansas City walk through the Power & Light District in 2012 during the 34th annual Pride Week. Kansas City Star file photo
Samantha Aaron, of Overland Park, in a rainbow top, danced to the music with other fans at the Gay Pride Festival in 2015 at Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City. Kansas City Star file photo
The king and queen of the 2022 KC Pride Parade greeted the crowd gathered in Westport at the start of the procession down Broadway to Theis Park. Kansas City Star file photo
Samantha Ruggles, grand marshal for the 2022 KC Pride Parade, greeted the crowd gathered in Westport at the start of the procession down Broadway to Theis Park. Kansas City Star file photo
An enthusiastic crowd greeted participants in the 2022 KC Pride Parade as they made their way through Westport at the start of the procession down Broadway to Theis Park. Kansas City Star file photo
Ethyl Lynn Torch of the City of Fountains Sisters, danced in the KC Pride Parade in 2023. Floats, performers and community groups participated in the parade which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
Ame Barnes of Lee’s Summit walked with T-Mobile group during the KC Pride parade in 2023. Floats, performers and community groups participated in the parade which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com
Performers from Missy B’s rode on their float during the KC Pride Parade in 2024. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 10:18 AM.
Monty Davis is a video producer and has been with The Kansas City Star for 20 years. He specializes in telling human interest video stories using mobile gear such as his iPhone 13 Pro. Recently he took up an interest in deltiology which is the study and collection of postcards. From that came a new series for The Star called Past | Present. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with family, his pugs, kayaking and reading historical biographies about the American Revolution and the Civil War.
