Pride Month 2021

Pride Month 2021
Pride Month 2021
Posted by on June 7, 2021 in DE&I, Features, Highlights

Pride Month

June is Pride Month, when the world’s LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are.

The original organizers chose this month to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising in June 1969 in New York City, which helped spark the modern gay rights movement. Most Pride events take place each year in June, although some cities hold their celebrations at other times of the year.

 

Pride events are geared toward anyone who feels like their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream — although many straight people join in, too.

LGBT is an acronym meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The term sometimes is extended to LGBTQ, or even LGBTQIA, to include queer, intersex and asexual groups. Queer is an umbrella term for non-straight people; intersex refers to those whose sex is not clearly defined because of genetic, hormonal or biological differences; and asexual describes those who don’t experience sexual attraction.

These terms may also include gender fluid people, or those whose gender identity shifts over time or depending on the situation.

Where did the Pride name come from?

It’s credited to Brenda Howard, a bisexual New York activist nicknamed the “Mother of Pride,” who organized the first Pride parade to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.

By all estimates, there were three to five thousand marchers at the inaugural Pride in New York City, and today marchers in New York City number in the millions. Since 1970, LGBTQ+ people have continued to gather together in June to march with Pride and demonstrate for equal rights.

What is the origin of the rainbow flag?

In 1978, artist and designer Gilbert Baker was commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk — one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US — to make a flag for the city’s upcoming Pride celebrations. Baker, a prominent gay rights activist, gave a nod to the stripes of the American flag but drew inspiration from the rainbow to reflect the many groups within the gay community.

A subset of flags represent other sexualities on the spectrum, such as bisexual, pansexual and asexual.

Can I participate in Pride events if I’m not LGBT?

Sure. Pride events welcome allies from outside the LGBT community. They are opportunities to show support, to observe, listen and be educated.

The first Seattle Pride Parade (a march of less than 200 people) took place in 1974, although it wasn’t officially recognized by the city. Just three years later, the Parade welcomed 2,000 attendees, and Seattle Mayor Wes Ulman declared the first “Gay Pride Week.” In 1992, the Seattle Pride festivities expanded to include bisexual and transgender identities (LGBT). Today, the Seattle Pride Parade is the fourth largest in the country, attracting an estimated 500,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community, friends and allies. The Parade provides the community an opportunity to celebrate the present, envision the future and honor the past.

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