More than 3,000 people participate in Pride Run/Walk at Piedmont Park

ATLANTA – More than 3,000 people participated in the Atlanta Pride Run and Walk 5K at Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta on Sunday.

That’s about 1,000 more people than last year.

This annual charity event raises funds for local nonprofit organizations that help people living with HIV and AIDS.

This year’s theme was “Where You Belong.”

June is recognized worldwide as Pride Month.

The month-long celebration began with Gay Pride Week in the late 1970s, which marked the first anniversary of the violent police raid on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York.

The first Pride Week featured marches in several major cities and has grown ever since. In 1999, President Bill Clinton proclaimed June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.

There will be several events in the metro Atlanta area during Pride Month.

However, the big Pride parade and festival will take place in October. More information on local events can be found here.