Atlantic City Casinos Celebrating Pride Month Through Various Events
In celebration of Pride Month, various Atlantic City casinos are putting on special events for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. June is recognized as Pride Month to commemorate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other sexual orientations and genders. The month-long event was first initiated in 1969, sparked by the Stonewall riots in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood at the Stonewall Inn, where protests were held against the police persecuting sexual minorities.
This year, at least two Atlantic City casinos are honoring Pride Month with a series of activities.
Embracing Diversity
Marking a first for the Atlantic City casino industry, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will raise a Pride Month flag above its resort on Saturday, June 8. In addition, Hard Rock is sponsoring the 3rd Annual AC Pride Rainbow Ride and March for Equality, a march taking place on Saturday with a starting point at Newport and Boardwalk in Ventor, ending in front of the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.
"We're thrilled to be involved in these festivities," commented Hard Rock General Manager, Mike Sampson. "We've made a commitment to Garden State equality, and were excited to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community here."
Optimistically, the Pride Month flag will be raised by Anthony Wilkinson, a Staten Island resident with two decades of comedy experience under his belt, at the Hard Rock. Aside from his "Big Gay Italian Wedding" show, Wilkinson expressed appreciation for Atlantic City's welcoming atmosphere, referring to the "love all, serve all" community program launched by Hard Rock. He has been visiting Atlantic City since he was 21 and praised the hotel's dedication towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Unwavering Community Support
Hard Rock isn't the only casino participating in Pride Month celebrations. Caesars Entertainment is set to announce on Tuesday the new home for the Miss'D America Pageant, a parody of the Miss America Pageant known for its origin in Atlantic City. The drag event aims to raise funds for LGBTQ charities.
"We're very excited to host the 33rd edition of the Miss'D America Pageant at our Atlantic City properties," said Caesars Entertainment. "Our goal has always been to support the LGBTQ+ community, and Miss'D America is a perfect way to do that this Pride Month."
A recent poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times by NORC at the University of Chicago found that the general American population holds favorable views towards LGBTQ+ individuals, supporting same-sex marriages and same-sex couples raising children. However, it was revealed that less than 50% of the US population was entirely comfortable with their child being transgender or nonbinary, almost twice as many people as would be uneasy about their child identifying as gay.
"It's a little disheartening," Rachel Wineman, a liberal 41-year-old poll participant and mom to a 13-year-old nonbinary child, said to the LA Times. "I can only hope that as more people talk about it, people will become more accepting."
Decades ago, before 1985, just under a quarter of the population had acquainted themselves with someone who was gay or lesbian. Today, that number has skyrocketed to an astounding 72%.
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