Happy Pride! It’s June, which means it’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month, so we’re going to spend the next few weeks learning about Pride and celebrating together.
Pride Month originated in 1969 with the Stonewall riots, when the New York City police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn and its community fought back. Many consider this the beginning of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Since then, annual marches and celebrations all over the country have honored the riots and moved the movement forward. On the 30th anniversary of the riots, President Bill Clinton officially declared June Pride Month.
During Pride, we celebrate the history, culture, achievements, and identity of the LGBTQ+ community, and we also advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. There are huge Pride celebrations across the world each year, but it’s important to remember that Pride is also about protest.
It’s okay to celebrate and participate in Pride, no matter how you identify. That’s because when we all celebrate Pride, it shows that there are welcoming, inclusive, and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ people of all ages to feel safe in their identity. Something as simple as wearing a Pride shirt, or attending a Pride event helps create an affirming community for everyone.
We celebrate the victories of the Pride movement like marriage equality but we also continue to protest for greater equality. That’s why advocacy during Pride Month (and all year long) continues to be as important as ever. In fact, we’re seeing an increase in political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Book banners continue to target books that feature LGBTQ+ characters. 586 bills targeting the healthcare and basic human rights of trans people have been filed across the U.S. so far this year. Project 2025 threatens the marriage rights and other federal protections of LGBTQ+ people if Donald Trump gets elected. And LGBTQ+ youth are at risk of increased bullying, anxiety, depression, and suicide risk.
This is why it’s so important to honor Pride Month. In the coming weeks, we’ll dig deeper into how you can include your family in your celebration of Pride Month, especially the young people in your life, to be even more impactful.