The parades started in the 1970s, not too long after the Stonewall Riots in NYC in 1969. At first, they were sparsely attended, but over the years, they have grown into major events, attracting thousands of joyous attendees, media attention and much corporate sponsorship.

Here in the greater LA area, we have no fewer than eight LGBT events within close proximity and probably another 4 or 5 within a couple hours driving distance. Everyone seems very, (dare I say?) well, gay, at these happy events, carrying rainbow flags and wearing multi-colored Mardi Gras beads. I have been to many a parade in my day, and some have been wonderful uplifting events and others have been problematic with conservative religious zealots protesting. But regardless, we gather each June and celebrate who we are and what we do and we’re so darn “happy” about it!

Happy people and happy days both celebrating in June; here’s one way to help LGBT people celebrate even further: purchase a PridePoster for your favorite L, G, B or T! That’s right, a customized poster that features about a dozen famous gay men or lesbians or bi-sexuals or transgenders along with the LGBT person that you would like to honor and recognize.

We take an optional photo and some narrative text of your “giftee” and we craft that into a poster that features the likes of Oscar Wilde, Rock Hudson, Harvey Fierstein, Leonard Bernstein and Michaelangleo (plus 7 others) to a unique and handsome gift for your favorite gay guy.

On the Famous Lesbians PridePoster, we have k.d. lang, Lily Tomlin, Florence Nightingale, Ellen DeGeneres and Sappho (plus 7 others) to put your dyke friend next to on a great 11×14 inch poster with them as the centerpiece.

We also have posters for African American gay men and lesbians as well as the aforementioned posters for Bi-sexuals and Transfolk. They start at just $34.95 and make a great gift for that hard to shop for person in your life. Mention code “Pride09″ and great free shipping and handling PLUS 10% off your total order! What a great deal!

Also, the many posters we have at the website would perfect gifts for the above-listed Dads, Grads and Brides & Grooms, we’re just sayin’… (although regretfully, we do NOT have a poster for folks with hay fever).