Niagara's sexual and gender diversity is being celebrated as Pride Week officially gets underway.
Pride technically lasts all month long, but Pride Niagara has planned a week full of events.
Chair of Pride Niagara's Board of Directors Enzo De Devitiis says they are reaching out to younger people this year through the first ever Pride Prom on Thursday.
"It's all the things you would think traditionally at a prom, just showcasing the fun and the traditional accents of a prom. So we're doing a prom king and queen, we have traditional prom photos, and we're doing a drag show at the beginning of the night as well.
Meanwhile, the rainbow flag will be flying high over Niagara today with ceremonies planned at municipal offices, Brock University, Niagara College, NRP Headquarters, and all DSBN schools.
"It's a big part of celebrating everybody. It symbolizes the entire month, which is Pride Month," De Devitiis says. "And it's the accountability and the acknowledgment together. It changes people's lives."
The local festivities come to a close on Saturday with Pride in the Park at Montebello Park in St. Catharines.