5 things to know about Pride
Sure, June is Pride Month, but how much do you know about the historic event? We break down the key facts.
1. June is the magic month
Pride is celebrated in June for a reason. It commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, when policed raided the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar in Greenwich Village. The protests over the next six days are credited with a shift in LGBTQ+ activism across the country.
2. Know her name: Brenda Howard
One year after the Stonewall Uprising - June 28, 1970 - pioneering bisexual woman, Brenda Howard organized a Liberation March on Christopher Street, later known as the first official Pride march. Dubbed the ‘Mother of Pride’, Howard continued fighting for gay and bisexual rights for three decades until her death in 2005, during NYC’s Pride Week. Fast-forward 53 years, and New York City’s Pride march is amongst the largest and most well-known in the world, with over two million taking part. However, Sao Paolo’s Pride parade holds the official Guinness World Record, with between 3-5 million attendees.
3. The story behind the rainbow flag
In 1978, Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US, asked artist and drag queen, Gilbert Baker, to create a symbol of pride for the LGBTQ+ community. Baker decided to make the symbol a flag. This is how he described his creation in a 2017 interview: “Hand-dyed, big mess, cotton, oh my God you don't even want to know, stitch, stitch, stitch on the little Singer. Pink is for sex, red is for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and purple for the spirit. I like to think of those elements as in every person.” In later years, when the flag was being mass produced, pink and turquoise were removed due to production issues.
4. The Presidents played major part
In June 2000, President Bill Clinton designated June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Then, in 2009, President Barack Obama gave Pride a more inclusive name Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgender Month. Since then a ‘Q’ was added to represent ‘Questioning’ and, more recently, the ‘+’ symbol was added to represent other sexualities not covered by LGBT.
5. Know these history-making moments
Here are just some of the pivotal LGBTQ+ moments over the past 18 months. Emmy-nominated actress, Laverne Cox, inspired the first transgender Barbie doll. Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA division-one title. Ariana DeBose became the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar (for West Side Story). Karine Jean-Pierre became the first openly LGBTQ+ person to take the White House Press Secretary role. Taylor Swift cast trans actor, Laith Ashley, in the music video to her hit single Lavender Haze. Non-binary pop star, Sam Smith, broke records with his single Unholy, alongside trans singer, Kim Petra.
