Pride Month: All you need to know about it
June 1-30 is celebrated as Pride Month in the United States. Three presidents of the United States have officially declared a pride month. President Bill Clinton in 1999 and 2000; President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2016, declared June LGBT Pride Month; and President Joe Biden declared June LGBTQ+ Pride Month in 2021 and 2022.
History of Pride month
LGBT Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall riots of June 1969. The police raided a popular gay bar in New York City, and people fought back, starting the Stonewall Riots. Throughout the US and some other parts of the world, Pride parades, protests, and drag performances are held on this day. Revelers also celebrate the lives of members who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.
How did the Pride flag come into existence
Gilbert Baker, an artist and gay rights activist, was commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk to make a flag for the upcoming Pride celebrations in 1978. Baker drew inspiration from the stripes on the American flag but also wanted to reflect the many groups within the gay community. He, therefore, created the rainbow-colored flag in horizontal stripes.
How the word 'Pride' came by
Thom Higgins, a gay rights activist in Minnesota coined the term "Gay Pride." Brenda Howard, a bisexual activist, known as the "Mother of Pride" is credited with creating Pride Month. She is known for ideating week-long events around Pride Day and for organizing the first Pride parade. Howard, bisexual activist Robert A. Martin and gay activist L. Craig Schoonmaker popularized the word "Pride."
Who can celebrate Pride month?
Anyone can celebrate Pride Month, although Pride-related events welcome anyone whose sexual identity falls outside the mainstream. LGBTQ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The term is often extended to LGBTQIA, to include intersex and asexual members. Queer on the other hand is a term for non-straight people. These also include gender-fluid people or people whose gender identity shifts over time.
Pride events across the world
The members of the LGBTQ+ community celebrate June by organizing various events worldwide to create awareness globally and progress their idea of equal identity. The New York Pride Parade is one of the most well-known parades that occur in June; about five lakh people attend it every year. This is the time to educate yourself and be an ally to support the LGBTQ+ community.
