The History of Pride Month

With June being just around the corner, it would be nice to take time and think about the long history of Pride Month. For many years, June has been celebrated by people within the LGBT community to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising that took place in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a game-changer for the Gay Liberation Movement here in the U.S. 

The Stonewall Uprising, also known as the Stonewall Riots, began in June 1969.  Police raided the Stonewall Inn, which is a gay club located in New York City.  This began multiple riots among bar patrons and residents within the area.  Police roughly took employees and patrons out of the bar.  This led to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement. The riots later served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and many other places.  

During the beginning of the 1960s, it was illegal and often seen as disorderly to hold hands, kiss, or even dance with someone of the same sex, so police harassment towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and trans people was still very alive and well. Initially, pride month was actually only celebrated on the last Sunday in the month of June.  It was originally titled “Gay Pride Day” eventually leading to it being held during the entire month in bigger cities. 

Fortunately enough, the Gay Pride Day is now, as said before, held during the entire month of June due to the injustices caused by police in that time period.  The LGBT community is now free to express themselves during parades, parties, picnics, concerts, and much more.  Pride month is used to commemorate the impact and recognize the struggles that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people have faced or still face today.  

Today, despite still struggling with discrimination, the LGBT celebrates Pride month every year after the first official Pride Parade held on June 28, 1970.  Then, it was known as Christopher Street Liberation March, named after the road that Stonewall Inn is located.  At the time, the largest LGBT rights rally was a yearly event called “The Annual Reminder”.  The event was calm and very silent.  The people participating were supposed to be seen as non-threatening as possible to people outside the march.  The first annual reminder was held in 1965, it was held to “remind the American people that a substantial number of American citizens were denied the rights of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’,” according to Philadelphia LGBT rights organizations Philly pride.  Chris Frederick, the managing director for NYC Pride states that the city’s pride events are not really “parades” but still call them marches to commemorate the memory and pay respects to those that started this tradition.  He states via email, “We have said that once the LGBT community no longer faces discrimination and hate worldwide we will then identify the march as a parade.” 

Though the first organized “parade” for the LGBT community was a very somber and quiet event, it has now evolved into something that many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people celebrate with not only their loved ones but others within their community.