Pride Month kicked off in OKC Wednesday night. Here's what Mayor Holt had to say.

A month dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ community kicked off one night early in Oklahoma City's historic 39th District with a special ceremony, where Mayor David Holt proclaimed June as the city's official "Pride Month."

The opening ceremony, which began around 6 p.m. Wednesday at NW 39th Street and N Barnes Avenue, kicked off an evening of music, games and other activities for all ages, meant to uplift the LGBTQ community.

“This is my fifth year to proclaim Pride here in Oklahoma City,” Holt told The Oklahoman. “I think that’s just a reflection and a symbol to the LGBTQ+ community, as well as all communities in Oklahoma City, that everyone is welcome in our city. Other people can work out their disagreements, but we have to understand that Oklahoma City is a welcoming and inclusive place.”

Throughout the United States, Pride Month spans the month of June each year, beginning this year on Thursday, June 1, and ending on Friday, June 30. It commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York and highlights the LGBTQ community's fight for equal rights.

Earlier in May, Holt had released a statement on Twitter in support of the LGBTQ community, highlighting the city's push for inclusion amid a contentious state government battle regarding trans rights, public education and health care.

“In Oklahoma City, we can’t control the rhetoric or actions of those who come from far away places or pass laws at other levels of government. But we can set our own tone and aspirations. People who don’t even live in OKC do not speak for us. They never have and they never will,” Holt tweeted on May 26.

“LGBTQ+ people are welcome in Oklahoma City. All people are welcome in Oklahoma City.”

More: From parades to disco, here's your event guide to 2023 Pride Month in OKC

Dozens of residents turned out to celebrate Holt’s proclamation Wednesday night. Various people in attendance noted how the inclusive address by Holt, who is a Republican, stood at odds with the majority of Republican lawmakers in the state’s Legislature.

“It is a sense of affirmation and belonging that the rhetoric you hear on 23rd and Lincoln is not necessarily shared by all of our elected officials,” said Seth Rott, the legislative chair for the board of directors at OKC Pride Inc., which hosted the event. “For him to be here for the ribbon-cutting is a nice statement and gesture.”

State Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, was also among the crowd Wednesday, showing support for the community because she said she knew “how much bills that had been filed in the Legislature had hurt people” in the community.

“I want them to know that you’re valid and important members of this community, our community,” Kirt said. “I know this is going to be an ongoing battle and I know it can be exhausting, but they cannot give up. They can’t stop being advocates and letting their voices be heard.”

The next Pride event will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at the Myriad Gardens Water Stage, hosted by the OKC Pride Alliance, another organization devoted to fostering the LGBTQ+ community.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Mayor David Holt proclaims June Pride Month at opening ceremony