June is Pride Month in the United States.
The month of June was selected in recognition of the Stonewell riots of June 1969 when the LGBTQ community stood up to police harassment and societal efforts to prevent public establishments from allowing LGBTQ patrons.
The riots have been credited with launching the gay rights movement in the United States.
The Stonewell Inn was a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village owned by the Genovese crime family.
It lacked running water and a liquor license, operated as a private club, and catered to members of the gay community who weren’t welcome in other establishments where couples danced and drank. The mob bribed police officers to give them advance notice of the monthly raids targeting gay individuals, so it could warn their patrons and hide its liquor. On June 28, 1969, the police raided the bar without advance notice.
After years of harassment at the Stonewell Inn and other local bars, the patrons had had enough, and a series of riots ensued. Support grew for the gay liberation movement whose members wanted nothing more than the right to go out on dates, drink, and dance without being harassed, arrested, or publicly outed. Such public outings often led to gay individuals being fired, ostracized, or targeted for violence.
One year after the Stonewell riots, the first pride marches were held in four U.S. cities, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The first marches were more akin to protests, but gradually transitioned into celebrations of the LGBTQ community and its members. The word “pride” was selected to reverse the many years of extreme repression faced by the LGBTQIA+ community and to focus on a positive sense of identity and pride for its members.
Pride Month is also a time to educate the public about the many outstanding accomplishments by members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Arts, Culture, Sciences, Mathematics, Entertainment, Medicine, Sports, and Humanitarian Charities.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton officially declared June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. President Barack Obama expanded the official Pride Recognition Month in 2011 to include the entire LGBTQ community. Donald Trump declined to recognize Pride Month in 2017, but he did tweet several supportive statements in 2019. In 2021, President Biden recognized Pride month and promised to push for LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States. During his tenure in the Senate Biden failed to support the expansion of gay rights which he later apologized for during his vice presidency.
After the actions of the present Trump administration limiting gender recognition to only male or female according to the gender assigned at birth, the reestablishment of bans on transgender service members, the war on DEI, and toxic comments about drag queens, many LGBTQ individuals and their allies are concerned about public celebrations during Pride Month. Major corporations are sitting out this year’s celebrations bowing to pressure from the administration to eliminate anything related to DEI. Google Calendar no longer defaults to Pride Month or other cultural holidays like Black History Month, Indigenous People’s Day, or Women’s History Month. Websites for several federal agencies have admonished their employees to refrain from publicly acknowledging Pride Month in any way.
The White House has indicated that it will make no official acknowledgement of Pride Month despite the fact that Washington D.C. has the largest concentration of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the country and is the site for WorldPride, an international LGBTQ celebration. Many countries are warning their citizens that attending WorldPride in the United States this year might not be safe.
Encouraging individuals to accept their sexual orientation especially in combination with family and societal acceptance has been shown to foster increased self-esteem, reduced risk of depression and suicide, and stronger relationships. It also helps dispel misinformation and harmful stereotypes. Another advantage of allowing individuals to live authentic lives is that they will help build supportive communities for everyone.
Happy Pride Month from This Awful Awesome Life!
Love is Love, and that’s something the world always needs.