The following information is provided by the Pride Resource Center

WHAT IS PRIDE MONTH?

Pride Month, celebrated each June, recognizes the history and current issues for the LGBTQIA+ community. It was created to commemorate the Stonewall Inn Uprising, which is often pointed to as the spark of the modern gay rights movement. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a gay club that was frequented by drag queens and kings, trans people of color, sex workers, gay men, lesbians, and others within the queer and trans community. This was not an atypical occurrence; police often raided gay bars and areas where LGBTQ folx would gather to enforce anti-queer and anti-trans laws. On the night of the Stonewall Uprising, the community of drag queens, trans women of color, and dykes decided enough was enough and fought back. The protests and rioting that occurred over the next week caught national attention and lit a spark for future gay rights movements and activism.

While this is not the first uprising and revolution of its kind, Stonewall is looked to as a marker of history, hope, justice, and coming together as a community for many members of the LGBTQIA+ community today. The first Pride Parade was hosted in 1970 on the year anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Uprising, and similar parades, parties, protests, marches, and resource fairs continue every year throughout the summer to carry on the tradition. While much of what occurred that night at Stonewall has fallen to myth and story, what is clear and needs to be centered is the integral role and weight carried by Black and Latinx Trans Women, Drag Queens, Lesbians, and Sex Workers, such as LGBTQ+ rights activists Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé DeLarverie, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, who are often credited with “throwing the first brick” to initiate the uprising.

You can learn more about Stonewall through the blog, them.

For this year’s Pride Month, check out the opportunities on the Pride Resource Center’s website, including events, discussions, and gatherings.