A look back at the road previous LGBTQ+ activists took to get here, and how it led to the celebration we have today.
What Is Pride Month?
LGBTQ+ Pride is a month-long celebration and commemoration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ community and the people within it.
More Than a Celebration
More than just a celebration, Pride also acts as a protest and push for LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy.
Protests and Parties
A mixture of different parties, parades, marches and protests fill the month with both happiness and a sense of Pride for what the community has accomplished within the past year.
Going Back to the Start
To get a better understanding of how much Pride means, it is important to go all the way back to the start.
The Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall riots of 1969, beginning on June 28th, are widely recognized as the event that inspired all future Pride commemorations.
The Turning Point
Still considered the turning point of the Gay rights movement, the Stonewall riots occurred when NYC police raided a gay bar, and the customers of the mafia-run Stonewall Inn said enough is enough.
Changing History
The fighting went on for multiple days and was later recognized by President Obama, who deemed it the first national monument to honor the LGBTQ+ community and their rights.
Tracing it Back
What started as a one-day party to celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots has grown into the monthlong celebration we have today. The first mention of “Pride Month” in newspapers was archived by Newspaper.com and traces back to June 5th, 1972.
The Whole Month of June
Activist Byrna Aronson said, “We call it Gay Pride week and Gay Pride Month, the whole month of June”. Also archived on newspaper.com, the New York Times mentions when Mayor Ed Koch announced the month of June as “Lesbian and Gay Pride and History Month”.
The Center of it All
New York City started as the center of the Gay rights movement and continues to hold one of the biggest celebrations to this day.
Global Recognition
It has now spread across the globe, and cities all over the world draw massive crowds to commemorate the holiday.
History of the Pride Flag
The Pride flag has a storied past of its own. Created by Gilbert Baker in 1978, the flag is now globally recognized. Gilbert Baker told NBC News, “Up until the rainbow flag in 1978, the pink triangle had really functioned as kind of the symbol of homosexuality and gay rights, but it was designed by Hitler” back in 2016.
Previously Used to “Oppress Us”
Baker continued, “It was put on us in the same way that they used the Star of David against Jews. It was a whole code of symbols that were used to oppress people. So we needed something that was from us”.
All for Our Human Rights
“It expressed our diversity in terms of our gender, our race, our ages — all the ways we’re different yet connected. And then using something from nature, taking the rainbow, one of the most beautiful, magical, spiritual parts of nature and making that a symbol for our sexuality, for our human rights”.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Lena Ivanova.
