INDIANAPOLIS — A new marker on Monument Circle commemorates Indy’s rich LGBTQ+ history.
The marker, which reads 'Indiana LGBTQ Pride' was put up May 27 and is the result of a two-year collaboration between Indy Pride and the Indiana Historical Bureau.
"The marker really looks at the first Pride festival celebration on the circle. Looking at that first event," said Casey Pfeiffer, who is the Historical Marker Program director at the Indiana Historical Bureau
One side of the new marker honors the very first Pride celebration in Indiana, which took place on Monument Circle on June 30, 1990. The other side honors the work of the LGBTQ+ community to bring that celebration into the mainstream.
Pride was not always so mainstream. In 1981, the first Pride event in Indianapolis was a dinner at the Essex Hotel, according to Indy Pride. Such was the stigma surrounding queerness at the time, people wore masks as to not be seen.
"Largely those were insular celebrations. More private and quiet. That's not to say the community didn't exist here, or that there wasn't an interest. There was just a lot of social stigma. Discrimination against the community," Pfeiffer said.
Because of the consistent work of queer activists, Pride evolved from small picnics on the west side of Indianapolis in the 1980s, to the large celebrations we see today.
Organizers said they intentionally placed the marker in the heart of Indianapolis to commemorate the work of LGBTQ+ Hoosiers who helped bring the celebration into the mainstream.
"That marker is now kind of a testament to their work, and will be there for people to learn about this history of years to come," Pfiffer said.
The marker is the first Indiana state historical marker commemorating LGBTQ+ history. It is located near 40 Monument Circle.
Indy Pride plans to officially dedicate the marker later this summer. The organization has not returned a request for comment prior to this article's publication.