June is Pride month. Every year, the LGBT+ community celebrates solidarity through various events. Here are some interesting facts about Pride:
- The month of June is significant due to the Stonewall Riots; a 1969 movement that resulted after the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in NYC, was raided by police. For 6 days, protestors sent out the message that LGBT+ people needed to be able to establish places in which they could be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested.
- Brenda Howard, also known as the “Mother of Pride,” organized Gay Pride Week a year after the Stonewall Riots. Part of Pride Week included the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, now known as NYC Pride March.
- The rainbow gay pride flag was designed by Gilbert Baker who was commissioned to design a symbol that was all encompassing. It was flown for the first time at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, on June 25, 1978. It has since become a universal symbol throughout the world.
- It was during Pride week that on June 26, 2015, The U.S. Supreme Court makes same-sex marriages legal in all 50 US states. Same-sex marriage in Canada was legally recognized nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act on July 20, 2005.
Pride is a movement that celebrates sexual diversity while promoting equal rights; it also helps to create social awareness of the importance of inclusivity. It is a way for all people to support those in the LGBT+ community – not only because it is kind and generous to do so, but also because there we find our sons and daughters, our grandkids, our friends and coworkers, our families. Heart emoji.
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Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@trfotos
very informing