Pride Month

LGBT Pride Month is a month, typically June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride.[1] Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969.[2] Modern-day Pride Month both honors the movement for LGBT rights and celebrates LGBT culture.

This article is about the month observing LGBT pride. For the concept in general, see LGBT pride.
LGBT Pride Month
A 2018 pride parade in San Francisco, California
TypeCultural
ObservancesCelebration of LGBT pride, rights, and culture
DateJune
FrequencyAnnual
First time1970 (1970)

History

Origins
Further information: Gay liberation

The concept of Pride Month began with the Stonewall riots, a series of riots for gay liberation that took place over several days beginning on June 28, 1969. The riots began after a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located within Lower Manhattan in New York City.[2] Activists Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLarverie are credited for inciting the riots, though Johnson disputes her involvement.[3][1]

A 1970s gay liberation protest

The year after the riots, the first pride marches were held in several US cities.[4] The march in New York City, aimed to celebrate the "Christopher Street Liberation Day", alongside parallel marches across the US, is considered to be a watershed moment for LGBT rights.[5] Fred Sargeant, an organizer of some of the first marches, said that the goal was to commemorate the Stonewall riots and further push for liberation. He noted that while the first marches were more akin to a protest than a celebration, it helped to remind people of LGBT communities and how they may include one's family and friends.[6] Transgender women and people of color were noted to have been excluded or silenced during the early marches, despite the initial riots largely consisting of them.[4][7]

Spread and celebration

Following the Stonewall riots and the first pride marches, the number of LGBT groups rapidly increased,[8] and the pride movement spread across the United States after a few years.[6] As of 2020, most pride celebrations in major urban areas around the world are held in June, although some cities hold them at different times of the year partially because of the weather in June being suboptimal for such events there.[9]

Recognition
New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority recognizes Pride Month annually

In June 1999, US President Bill Clinton declared "the anniversary of [the] Stonewall [riots] every June in America as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month".[10] In 2011, President Barack Obama expanded the officially recognized Pride Month to include the whole of the LGBT community.[10][11] In 2017 Donald Trump declined to continue the federal recognition of Pride Month in the United States,[12] though he later recognized it in 2019 in a Tweet later used as a Presidential Proclamation.[13]

After taking office in 2021, Joe Biden recognized Pride Month and vowed to push for LGBT rights in the United States,[14] despite previously voting against same-sex marriage and school education of LGBT topics in the Senate.[15]

Pride Month is often observed in several LGBT-affirming religious congregations.

Criticism
Further information: Rainbow capitalism
The rainbow flag has become a symbol of LGBT culture

Some have criticized how many companies release Pride Month-themed products, likening it to the concept of slacktivism, as the companies are perceived to be using the topic of LGBT rights as a means of profit, without contributing to the movement in a meaningful way.[7] Others have criticized the seemingly hypocritical nature of companies making social media profiles evoke the rainbow pride flag while refusing to alter the profile pictures in areas without broad LGBT acceptance.[16]

References
  1. Wurzburger, Andrea (June 1, 2022). "Pride Month Explained: What Is Pride Month and Why Do We Celebrate?". People. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  2. Miranda, Gabriela (June 3, 2021). "What are the origins of Pride Month? And who should we thank for the LGBTQ celebration?". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  3. Oliver, David; Ali, Rasha (June 28, 2019). "Why we owe Pride to black transgender women who threw bricks at cops". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  4. Stanton, Cady (June 2, 2022). "What is the history behind Pride Month? How the LGBTQ celebration came to be". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  5. Sommerlad, Joe (July 2, 2022). "Pride 2022: How was the annual LGBT+ celebration founded and when and where are events taking place?". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  6. Lopez, German (June 8, 2014). "LGBTQ Pride Month, explained". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  7. Abad-Santos, Alex (June 25, 2018). "How LGBTQ Pride Month became a branded holiday". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  8. Carter, David (May 25, 2010). Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-312-67193-8. As Frank Kameny stated, 'By the time of Stonewall, we had fifty to sixty gay groups in the country. A year later there was at least fifteen hundred. By two years later, to the extent that a count could be made, it was twenty-five hundred.'
  9. Baume, Matt (June 25, 2020). "What Is Pride Month and the History of Pride?". Them. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  10. Clinton, William J. (June 11, 1999). "Proclamation 7203—Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, 1999". The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  11. Cho, Diane J. (June 1, 2022). "Notable Figures & Moments in Pride Month History to Honor This Week, from Gilbert Baker to Alan Turing". People. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  12. Bump, Philip (June 27, 2017). "Last year, June was National Pride Month. This year, it isn't". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  13. Evon, Dan (June 1, 2021). "Did Trump Officially Recognize Pride Month During His Presidency?". Snopes. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  14. Karni, Annie (June 1, 2021). "Biden Recognizes Pride Month, Vowing to Fight for L.G.B.T.Q. Rights". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  15. Nagourney, Adam; Kaplan, Thomas (June 21, 2020). "Behind Joe Biden's Evolution on L.G.B.T.Q. Rights". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  16. Daisley, Stephen (June 3, 2022). "When will companies end their embarrassing Pride hypocrisy?". The Spectator. Press Holdings. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
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