June is officially Pride Month in the US and around the world. This month, especially, is a time to recognize and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community while advocating for equality for all. Pride trivia is one entertaining and educational way you can do so. This month brings an opportunity for fun and liberating pride parades or simply a time of embracing that all love is love. However, it is no secret that this country has come a long way when it comes to the acceptance of queer people and still has a long way to go.
Though being openly LGBTQ may be more normalized today, it has not even been 10 years since gay marriage was legalized in the US and other countries. Queer and trans folks, especially those who are BIPOC, are still facing violence and discrimination today, maybe even more so with the legislation being passed in recent years. While Pride Month is a celebration, it is important to remember why it began and that LGBTQ+ people continue to deserve advocacy and support in this continuously unjust world.
In honor of Pride Month, here are 47 pride trivia questions all about the history of this celebration and iconic members of the community.
General Pride Trivia and Pride History
Question: In which month is Pride Month celebrated?
Answer: June
Question: What event does Pride Month commemorate?
Answer: The Stonewall Riots of 1969
Question: In which city did the Stonewall Riots take place?
Answer: New York City
Question: What is the symbol most commonly associated with Pride Month?
Answer: The rainbow flag
Question: In what year was the first official Pride parade held?
Answer: 1970
Question: What does the acronym LGBTQ+ stand for?
Answer: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and others
Question: What is the name of the legendary ballroom competitions that has categories such as Vogue, Realness, and Face, and serves as a critical space for expression within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly among Black and Latino individuals?
Answer: House Ball
Question: Which U.S. president declared June as Pride Month for the first time?
Answer: Bill Clinton
Question: What are the colors of the traditional six-stripe rainbow flag?
Answer: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet
Question: What is the purpose of Pride parades?
Answer: To celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and community, and to advocate for equal rights and acceptance
Question: Which country was the first to legalize same-sex marriage?
Answer: The Netherlands in 2001
Question: What does the pink triangle symbol represent in the context of LGBTQ+ history?
Answer: Originally used by the Nazis to identify homosexuals in concentration camps, it was later reclaimed as a symbol of gay pride and remembrance.
Question: What is the significance of the colors black and brown in the newer versions of the Pride flag?
Answer: It represents diversity and the ongoing struggles faced by marginalized LGBTQ+ communities, particularly BIPOC individuals.
Question: Which city hosts one of the largest and most famous Pride parades in the world?
Answer: São Paulo, Brazil
Question: What colors did the original rainbow flag also include?
Answer: Hot pink and turquoise
LGBTQ Pop Culture Trivia
Question: Which iconic 1990s pop song by an openly gay duo is known for its colorful and campy music video featuring sailors?
Answer: “Go West” by the Pet Shop Boys
Question: What is the name of the groundbreaking TV series, created by Ryan Murphy, that focuses on the LGBTQ+ ballroom culture scene in 1980s New York City?
Answer: “Pose”
Question: Which popular TV show features a character named Santana Lopez, who struggles with her sexual orientation and eventually comes out as a lesbian?
Answer: “Glee”
Question: What is the name of the Oscar-winning film about a young African American man grappling with his sexuality and identity while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami?
Answer: “Moonlight”
Question: Which openly lesbian talk show host has been a prominent figure in daytime television since the early 2000s?
Answer: Ellen DeGeneres
Question: What is the name of the popular series featuring a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, raising their adopted daughter?
Answer: “Modern Family”
Question: Which British singer and actor, known for hits like “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man,” was one of the first major music stars to come out as bisexual in the 1970s and later as gay?
Answer: Elton John
Question: What is the name of the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy, known for her role in the series “Orange Is the New Black”?
Answer: Laverne Cox
Question: Who is the singer-songwriter behind the LGBTQ+ anthem “Born This Way,” which celebrates individuality and self-expression?
Answer: Lady Gaga
Question: Which drag queen competition show host and LGBTQ+ icon is known for her Emmy-winning TV show and catchphrase “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”
Answer: RuPaul
Pride Trivia on Prominent Figures in LGBTQ History
Question: Who was the first openly gay elected official in California, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors until his assassination in 1978?
Answer: Harvey Milk
Question: Who is credited with creating the rainbow flag?
Answer: Gilbert Baker
Question: Which African American transgender woman and LGBTQ+ activist is credited with playing a significant role in the Stonewall Riots of 1969?
Answer: Marsha P. Johnson
Question: Who is the British mathematician and computer scientist, known for his work in breaking the Enigma code during World War II, who was later prosecuted for his homosexuality?
Answer: Alan Turing
Question: Which American writer, poet, and civil rights activist, who wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was also an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights?
Answer: Maya Angelou
Question: What is the name of the tennis champion who came out as bisexual in the 1980s and has been a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and women’s equality?
Answer: Billie Jean King
Question: Which South African activist, known for his work against apartheid, also became a prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate and served as a member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association board?
Answer: Simon Nkoli
Question: Who was the first openly transgender person to be elected to a state legislature in the United States, representing New Hampshire?
Answer: Stacie Laughton
Question: Who is the American author and activist known for their groundbreaking book “Gender Outlaw,” which challenges traditional notions of gender?
Answer: Kate Bornstein
Question: Which openly LGBTQ Black American novelist wrote “Giovanni’s Room” and is considered one of the most influential voices in 20th-century literature?
Answer: James Baldwin
Question: Who is the author of “And the Band Played On,” a seminal work on the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and a prominent LGBTQ+ activist?
Answer: Randy Shilts
LGBTQ History and Legislation Trivia
Question: What landmark 2015 Supreme Court case legalized same-sex marriage across the United States?
Answer: Obergefell v. Hodges
Question: Which country was the first to decriminalize homosexuality, doing so in 1791?
Answer: France
Question: In what year did the American Psychiatric Association remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in the DSM?
Answer: 1973
Question: Which U.S. state was the first to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004?
Answer: Massachusetts
Question: What piece of legislation, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, defined marriage as between one man and one woman for federal purposes?
Answer: The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Question: In what year did the World Health Organization remove homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases?
Answer: 1990
Question: Who was the first openly transgender person to be appointed to a federal position in the United States, serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services?
Answer: Dr. Rachel Levine
Question: What is the name of the law passed in 2009 that expanded federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity?
Answer: The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
Question: In which year did Canada legalize same-sex marriage nationwide?
Answer: 2005
Question: What is the significance of the date June 28, 1970, in LGBTQ+ history?
Answer: It marked the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the date of the first Pride parades in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Question: Which U.S. President signed an executive order in 2014 prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees of federal contractors?
Answer: Barack Obama