Happy PRIDE Month!
June is always a special time of the year and is called PRIDE Month, in honor of the memory of the Stonewall Inn Riots and the many brave activists involved.
These riots helped lead to the development of the Gay Liberation Movement, which fought for an end to persecution of the LGBTQ+ population and to advocate for equal rights.
The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar and club, and in June of 1969, police in staged an unscheduled raid on the building, erupting into violence among the police, patrons, and bystanders.
The first Gay Pride parades were held in New York, LA, and Chicago for the first anniversary of Stonewall. By 1971, PRIDE parades could be found all over the globe.
Soon, PRIDE Parades served as both a celebration of the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and to create a platform to speak out against the injustices they faced. This continues to this day. In that time, the LGBTQ+ community has gained the right to marry whomever they wish, to work without discrimination, and to enlist in the military without disclosing sexual orientation or identity.
Although these are significant victories, there is still much work to be done. Discrimination is still prevalent throughout society and has prevented the LGBTQ+ community from adopting children, giving blood, and so many other rights the non-LGBTQ+ community takes for granted.
This PRIDE month, celebrate your identity and the memory of those courageous souls who fought for the beginning of the end of prejudice and inequities against the LGBTQ+ community.
Want to learn more? Look up any information surrounding the Stonewall Inn, Marsha P. Johnson, and any upcoming or recent legislation affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Change can only happen if we are all committed and informed.
