June is Pride Month! When the worlds LGBTQ+ communities come together to celebrate, protest and show pride for the community.
It is celebrated each year in June to honour the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan.
The Stonewall Uprising began June 28, 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn – a gay club located in Greenwich Village, New York City. The raid sparked a riot which then transformed into 6 days of protests.
The uprising became a catalyst for an emerging gay rights movement as organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance were formed.
A year later Brenda Howard, a bisexual New York activist nicknamed the "Mother of Pride," organized the first Pride parade to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.
This over time was adapted internationally – the first UK Pride was held in 1972 in London. And as of 2016 over 60 countries celebrate Pride worldwide.
Pride is typically celebrated by members of the LGBTQ+ community, however straight allies are always welcomed to the celebrations.
Unfortunately, some celebrations had to be cancelled yet again due to COVID-19. However, London Pride has been moved and due to go ahead 11 Sept 2021.
Some additional information…
The LGBTQ+ acronym covers a wide spectrum of sexual identity – this can be but is not limited to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual and Intersex.
The rainbow flag was first created in 1978 by artist Gilbert Baker. Baker was commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk (one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US) to make a flag for the city's upcoming Pride celebrations.
Baker took inspiration from the American flag and drew from the rainbow colours to reflect the many groups within the gay community.
There are also other flags which represent the wider community such as bisexual, pansexual and asexual.
Want to join in the Pride celebrations?
Do your research
Do you understand what the LGBTQ+ community is all about? Have you heard different LGBTQ+ perspectives?
There are some great LGBTQ+ influencers out there who dive deep into the history, the issues and perspectives!
Here are some of our recommendations:
On social media
Share your support and celebrations!
Fundraise
LGBTQ+ communities still face mass oppression internationally. There are some great charities out there which work to support the LGBTQ+ community and create social change:
Virtual celebrations
Coming later this week will be a blog post of all Pride celebrations this month you can attend virtually from home.
Show your support in person
Some local events (with restrictions) are still taking place – why not look into what’s happening in your area!
Thanks for reading!
This month we will be posting a wide range of articles in hopes to raise awareness and celebrate Pride. More coming later this week!
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